Ada County voters will elect highway district commissioners in less than two months. We should be casting a vote on whether the agency should even exist.
Most voters assume they are electing commissioners to oversee county roads. However, the Ada County Highway District controls every road in Ada County. Whether you live in Boise, Kuna, Meridian, Star or unincorporated Ada County, ACHD is in charge. The agency is set to spend $234 million next year. With those funds, ACHD decides if you have a sidewalk, how wide the road should be, and whether to make road repairs. The only exception to this is a state or federal highway.
ACHD is the only agency of its kind in the entire United States. That’s right. Idaho has the only extra layer of government where an entirely separate body controls the roads. Canyon County, our neighbor, doesn’t have this system. This unnecessary bureaucracy is the exact opposite of the efficient, streamlined, common-sense approach Idaho citizens expect. Cities should own their roads. The elected officials who approve growth should be accountable for the streets that accompany it.