Foothills Levy collection

A conservation effort to preserve and protect the natural open space in the Boise Foothills by raising money through a two-year property tax known as the Foothills Serial Levy. The Levy was passed by 59% of Boise voters on May 22, 2001, raising $10 million for conservation efforts. The two-year levy in property taxes for commercial, residential, and industrial property was implemented in 2002 and 2003. The funds were managed by the Foothills Conservation Advisory Committee, a group of 12 volunteers, until September 2012 when the responsibilities were transferred over to the City of Boise Parks and Recreation Commission. In 2012, the City sold Hammer Flat to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for $4.2 million to expand the Boise River Wildlife Management Area and replenish the Foothills Levy Fund. As of 2014, $13.4 million from the Foothills levy funds have been used to protect 10,750 acres of undeveloped foothills property as public open space. The remaining $1.8 million of the levy fund will be used to further the protection of critical habitat, riparian corridors, rare plants, historic sites, and potential trail connections from east to west across the Boise Front.