Idaho Falls declines to file motion on North Loop eminent domain decision

The city of Idaho Falls has no plans to abandon its North Loop electrical expansion project, but it will not be using powers of eminent domain to acquire land and rights of way.

Mayor Rebecca Casper announced late Monday that she and the City Council had decided not to file a motion for reconsideration with the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Dec. 31, the court released a decision authored by Judge N. Randy Smith saying municipalities in Idaho do not have the power to exercise eminent domain outside city limits for the purpose of constructing electric transmission lines.

That ruling came after Idaho Falls appealed a decision by U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill in a case involving a group of landowners called the Alliance for Property Rights. Although Idaho Falls has not sought to acquire land outside city limits using eminent domain, the Alliance filed suit against the city seeking a decision that would limit the city's powers.

Eminent domain is a power given to governments that allows them to acquire property for a public purpose at a fair price. The deadline for filing the motion to reconsider was today.

“I believe that we have concluded appropriate legal action with regards to the use of eminent domain to obtain property outside city limits for the North Loop project. We respect the court’s ruling and look forward to continuing to negotiate with property owners,” Casper said in a news release.

Idaho Falls has been planning the North Loop expansion for more than 40 years, to meet the City’s continually growing electric needs and customers' expectation of reliable service.

New I.F. Panda Express set to open Jan. 22

There's still a lot of work to be done, but the word Tuesday from Panda Express' corporate headquarters in Rosemead, Calif., is that the new Idaho Falls restaurant, at 720 South Utah, will be opening Wednesday, Jan. 22.

Bullying doesn't stop in school, it's becoming more of an issue in the workplace

Have you ever had that one co-worker or manager who is just a jerk?  He or she is the only person in the workplace who can’t seem to get along with more than a select few and even goes out of his or her way to make your life miserable?  As surprising as it may sound, you may be the subject of workplace bullying.

Over the past few years, bullying has become more and more of an issue with our children. It should come as no surprise that bullying does not stop in our schools or with our kids. In a survey conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management, 51 percent of organizations reported there had been incidents of bullying in their workplace.

Is this a big deal? Maybe the National Football League and the Miami Dolphins can best answer that question with a case that has impacted their organizations and been highly publicized. In 2013, offensive lineman Jonathan Martin left the Dolphins in mid-season, saying he was bullied and harassed by fellow teammates. According to news reports, teammates called Martin a “big weirdo,” pressured him to pay thousands of dollars for a Las Vegas trip he did not go on and had racial slurs directed towards him. All this has resulted in a player suspension, a major NFL investigation and the potential for future legal liabilities for both the team and the league.

Workplace bullying is a big deal and should be taken seriously by businesses and organizations of any size. It is the foundation of workplace discrimination, harassment, and even violence. On a basic level it can decrease employee morale, productivity, and trust between co-workers. It can increase stress levels and mental and emotional distress, absenteeism and turnover rates. On a higher level it can result in cases with the EEOC, lawsuits, and even death in the workplace.

Workplace bullying will continue to be a major issue in the workplace that likely will have an increasingly alarming impact on businesses and employees. Businesses should take the initiative now to protect their workplaces and their employees by implementing policies prohibiting workplace bullying and provide training to management and employees to educate and create awareness. This in turn will encourage employees to report behavior as it occurs and help stop workplace bullying before it goes too far.

A lost decade for real estate investment?

For the really big picture, look at this.

Here's some moderately good news, likely to be of interest to local real estate investors.

If you bought a $150,000 home in Idaho Falls ten years ago, it would have been worth $179,745 in the third quarter of 2013. That represents a gain in value of about 20 percent, or 2 percent annually. Not great, but a day in the park compared to Las Vegas.

Here's the bad news: If you bought a $150,000 home anytime between the spring 2006 and the end of 2010, you're still under what would be called the Mendoza Line in baseball. From then until now, it's been an up and down kind of thing.

I'm getting my numbers from the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index Calculator, a site on which I occasionally like to play. You can go there yourself to get more detailed numbers that might apply to you.

Quarter Q3 2013
Bought Value

Q1 2004 $179,745
Q2 2004 $176,410
Q3 2004 $170,310
Q4 2004 $169,274
Q1 2005 $169,180
Q2 2005 $162,540
Q3 2005 $156,332
Q4 2005 $154,324
Q1 2006 $151,306
Q2 2006 $146,195
Q3 2006 $143,170
Q4 2006 $139,966
Q1 2007 $135,232
Q2 2007 $133,875
Q3 2007 $131,120
Q4 2007 $131,541
Q1 2008 $129,634
Q2 2008 $129,830
Q3 2008 $134,277
Q4 2008 $130,892
Q1 2009 $130,482
Q2 2009 $132,997
Q3 2009 $137,535
Q4 2009 $138,328
Q1 2010 $144,454
Q2 2010 $142,679
Q3 2010 $143,076
Q4 2010 $144,731
Q1 2011 $152,002
Q2 2011 $155,027
Q3 2011 $149,823
Q4 2011 $150,975
Q1 2012 $151,306
Q2 2012 $152,965
Q3 2012 $154,511
Q4 2012 $149,591
Q1 2013 $151,032
Q2 2013 $153,763

LaPray joins Mountain America team as adviser

David LaPray

David LaPray has joined Mountain America Credit Union and LPL Financial as a wealth adviser.

LaPray, who will work out of the credit union's Idaho Falls branch, is a Brigham Young University graduate with more than 10 years of experience as a financial adviser.

Investment representatives at Mountain America are jointly employed by the credit union and LPL Financial. Mountain America has 75 branches in five states, and provides access to more than 30,000 ATMs and 5,000 shared branching locations nationwide. It has more than $3.5 billion in assets and serves more than 420,000 members. LPL Financial is an independent broker-dealer with more than 12,000 financial advisers and 750 financial institutions.

For information about LPL Financial, visit www.macu.com/lpl-financial or contact LaPray at 403-9425.