Citizen responsibilities and potential pitfalls of a Constitutional Republic.
In a constitutional republic citizens elect representatives to govern. City government is the closest form of this elected representation to the citizens of the city. The elected local representatives can have the most pronounced effects on citizens daily lives and quality of life.
Powers are concentrated with the elected representatives who may lose touch with everyday citizens and elitism or corruption can sneak in or direction can drift from public will if elected officials ignore voters.
If voters stay apathetic representatives get too comfortable.
In a constitutional republic, individual sovereignty is protected by the constitution and laws, but representatives hold the power, so your voice trickles up through votes. That is why your vote is so critical, especially at the local level.
what is happening to our city and Why is this happening so fast?
Let’s talk about IMAGINE IF
the future of our entire city has been layed out based on 2019-2021 comprehensive plan called “imagine if”. This plan, which had 670 survey respondents is shaping the growth of Idaho Falls. That is about 1% of the population. below are a few concepts that are embedded in the plan that you may have noticed happening quickly and a few that are yet to come (unless we change our direction).
Two of the biggest concepts that are introduced in Imagine IF are called “Missing Middle Housing” and “In-fill Development”. These two concepts are designed to maximize population density in our city. This large rapid amount of growth, we feel, is being done without regard to the impacts to the citizens of Idaho Falls. It is unclear that our current infrastructure is adequate to support this rapid and substantial growth. Look at the link to Imagine IF section.
Affordable single-family starter homes should be the priority to build on the family-oriented community that Idaho Falls has always been. All it took was changes to the city zoning and building codes (promoted and endorsed by our current mayor and city council) to facilitate this massive influx of people and overbuilding of multi-unit structures.
Another issue that Imagine IF identified in the “Transportation and Connectivity” section is - Lack of Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure. Although biking and walking paths are nice, and should be supported, it is not the primary mode of transportation for the vast majority of Idaho Falls residents.
Imagine IF also identified the need for the development of a “15-minute city” infrastructure. The plan breaks down the city into five zones, each being a “15-minute city” with individual city centers. A “15-minute city” is a planning concept that would limit your access to only an area within a 15-minute walking distance from your home. Reducing the use of cars, the idea is to have everything you need on a daily basis within a 15-minute walk. This is not what Idaho Falls is about.
It is not a population explosion - it is an apartment building explosion!
WE still want to hear from you!
phone: 208-516-9109
email: wildfish1212@gmail.com
Please let us know your thoughts and concerns regarding this great city of ours.