Boise Mayor Lauren McLean Wednesday outlined her administration’s plans for the city for the third time since taking office in January 2020. For the first time, she got to do it in front of a crowd.
“It’s incredible to be back, to see faces,” McLean began.
She touted programs and partnerships which helped thousands of people stay in their homes or find housing through the pandemic and affordability crisis, many efforts funded by the federal government.
Six affordable housing developments are already under construction with seven more planned.McLean said the city will direct $12 million in additional federal pandemic aid toward creating and preserving affordable housing.
“We are on target to meet our goals of producing 1,250 affordable homes by 2026 and creating 250 homes for people exiting homelessness,” the mayor said.
“We'll try new ideas, we'll measure the impact, we'll learn from the results, and we'll make changes as we go to make sure that we're making the progress that we must,” McLean said about the city’s many housing assistance programs.
McLean announced new spending plans, though details were not immediately available or specified during her speech: A $2 million partnership with the United Way for businesses that missed out on federal pandemic aid and $3 million in CARES Act funding for incentive pay for local child care workers.
Federal grants awarded to the city will help pay for sewer and water infrastructure upgrades voters approved last November; new funds that will help ease the burden on taxpayers, she explained. The city is also pursuing other federal grants to expand public transportation and modernize buses to meet safety and climate goals.
The city’s climate goals include running on 100% “clean” energy by 2030 and being carbon neutral by 2035. This year, McLean said the city will spend $10 million in CARES Act funds to maintain and expand the city’s geothermal heating system, and fully electrify seven city buildings. New buildings will be fully electric going forward, including the city’s new fire station planned in northwest Boise.
She praised recent investments in the city’s first responders, noting nearly three dozen recent hires within the Boise Police Department, and improving community relations thanks to a growing number of liaison officers.
“Through these officers,” McLean explained, “people feel more connected, more comfortable with our police department. They feel safer. And they're also more likely to report crimes when they happen.”
There are more parks on the way, too - and changes are being made to add more accessible play structures at existing city parks, part of a new $3.1 million effort to update facilities across the city to provide better access and welcoming spaces for people with disabilities, McLean said.
Her tone throughout was optimistic, naming the struggles the city has and continues to endure, but calling on citizens to keep pushing through to make the city better.
“These challenges give us the opportunity to create our vision of Boise's future,” she said. “We've been through some of the hardest times and we've come out on the other side. Our values: front and center, our vision: intact. We'll continue to come together, create solutions, care for, and value each other for who we are, for what we add to this community.”
