Jerome County | minutes | meeting 2026-07-20 | Commissioners Meeting source: https://www.jeromecountyid.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_07202026-1685 Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 1 of 8 JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Monday, July 20, 2026 PRESENT: Ben Crouch, Chairman Charles Howell, Vice Chairman Art Watkins, Commissioner Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk Meeting convened at 9:00 am. Commissioner Reports Commissioner Watkins – Commissioner Watkins reported that he went to the rotary meeting. There was a presentation on the community clinic. He also attended the Tri County Weed board meeting. Commissioner Howell – Commissioner Howell reported that he attended the Republican Central Committee meeting. He also helped with the presentation of the Commissioners’ items. Then he attended the SIRCOMM meeting. He spoke to Brent Reinke, Commissioner from Twin Falls County about the juvenile housing agreement proposal. He informed Brent that the cost of the original proposal was double what they asked for last year and that it should be looked at again. Brent sent a new proposal for only one bed per day, per year instead of two, cutting the cost in half. Commissioner Howell presented the new proposal to the clerk’s office for budgeting purposes, and it will need to be discussed among the commissioners at a later date to potentially finalize the proposal. Commissioner Crouch – Commissioner Crouch reported that he attended the Republican Central Committee meeting. He presented on items from the Commissioners and the summer Republican meeting that he attended. Then he met with Tess Molitor during the week about communication issues. He also attended the rotary meeting. Update on CPF Grant Progress Staff present: Matthew McGregor, Daniel Bickar, and Cy Lootens Public present: Scott Linsley and Jess BurnsLee Scott wanted to thank the Board for allowing him to present an update on the project today. The main part of the presentation was regarding phase 4 of the project. He stated that the project is 85% complete. Then he discussed the different portions of the project from installation of fiber cables, building of towers for coverage, and other projects to bring service across the county. He then discussed the next phases which would complete the grant. The final phase would be phase 7. The proposed timeline to finish the project is in June of 2027. He does expect it to be done sooner, but wanted to have the extra time just in case. ETS requested payment from the county last week to begin the next phase of the project. Commissioners wanted to wait until this presentation to submit payment. After the presentation commissioners submitted payment to ETS. Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 2 of 8 Personal Property Taxes Discussion Staff present: Nina Lagle Public present: Johnny Gomez Johnny was present to discuss his property taxes with commissioners. Johnny said that he missed the deadline to pay for property taxes this year by a month. He forgot the deadline and paid late. He informed the commissioners that he paid the taxes in full and paid penalties and interest on top of that in the amount of $133.44. He came before the board to ask the commissioners to remove or reduce the penalties and interest he paid because he thought it was a large amount. Commissioner Crouch asked Nina Lagle from the Treasurer’s office what they are able to do. Nina stated that the amount he paid in penalties and interest can be refunded to him or added as a credit to his next property tax bill. Commissioners asked Johnny which he preferred. He said that he did not have a preference and either would be fine. Commissioner Crouch made a motion to wave the penalties and interest in the amount of $133.44, for parcel number RPJ17770030340, to be credited for next year’s taxes. Second By Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium – Informational Presentation Only Public present: Camille Barigar, Lyle Johnstone, Jerry Holton, and Lorien Nettleton Camille stated that she has come regarding a request for information (RFI) from the Idaho Energy Consortium. The request was regarding small energy reactors to be placed into areas to help test the capabilities of these facilities. She wanted to come especially after the recent conversations that the county has been having regarding energy. She knows that there was interest brought forward in those discussions from the Commissioners and the public. The reports that she has seen show that these reactors should be viable within the next ten years. This request is regarding the option to submit a request to have one of the test reactors placed within communities. By making this request the county would be able to meet and learn more about these reactors and how they can help. She wanted to get feedback from the Commissioners and what they would think of this option. The Board wanted to know about what responses have been received since this was created. Camille stated that she is not fully sure how much of a response has been received so far. The Board then asked how much she knows about the company involved in the RFI. Camille stated that the company is based out of Boise and was created to help with this project proposal. The Board asked if this is the first time that these facilities have been created for power or if the company has created power facilities before. Camille stated that she is not sure if they have or not. The Board asked if the project is from INL or from an independent company. Camille stated that the project would not be from INL but from a separate energy company. The project is proposed to cover power for entire cities in the future but of course needs to be tested first on its capabilities. Agreeing to this does not necessarily mean that Jerome would be the first community with a reacotr, but that you can be present in the conversation that will take place about these facilities and what they can offer. The Board wanted to confirm what the RFI would lead to if it is agreed upon. Camille answered that it would not necessarily mean that Jerome would be the first to have a reactor, but that the county could be part of the conversation. The Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 3 of 8 RFI is also not legally binding either. She then went over the different options that are available through the RFI. She discussed that one option is just to find out information on what these facilities could do. The Board wanted to discuss the RFI and how other RFI’s have impacted the county in the past. Camille stated that the RFI would be interesting to consider with the different options that the county has regarding energy. The Board then asked if the group offering this project knows where Jerome County is at in the process of an energy ordinance. Camille stated that there are parts of the RFI that discuss the feelings of power and power facilities in the community. There are other things to be included with that regarding local leadership and other items to ensure to include. The Board then asked about the next steps for this and if there should be a public meetings held about it. Camille stated that it would depend on what option the Commissioners were interested in. If it was just to be fact finding then it would start with a meeting to just learn more. After submitting the form there would be time during the next few years to continue to gain more input from the members of the community about the potential project. The Board asked if the Jerome 20/20 board has also expressed interest in this option. Camille stated that she has not gotten an official statement of interest from her board, but that it has been brought up in passing that some of them are interested. The Board asked how they would go about learning more about the company offering these opportunities. Camille stated that she could reach out to them to have them present to the Board to go over more information. The Board stated that they would like to gain more information about this company before moving forward and then also go forward with some public meetings to get feedback from the community before going forward. Camille stated that she agrees and would like to state that this would not be something to take lightly. The deadline to put the RFI in is August 10th. She also wanted to see if they would be ok to submit the RFI with just the option of learning more information about this. The Board stated that they would be ok with submitting the RFI with that specific option. Camille stated that in the long run after doing more research the Board can still ultimately decide to not go forward with the project after learning more about it. Commissioner Crouch left the meetings to attend a set of ICRMP meetings in Boise. Juvenile Probation Monthly Report Staff present: Mario Umana Commissioner Howell moved to amend the agenda to allow the misdemeanor probation report. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Mario gave a report on the juvenile probation department. There are currently 88 juveniles on probation. Over the last month 18 cases were closed. A total of 13 new cases were received during the previous month. His office received a total of $1,342.00 in fees. He stated that his office is doing well recently and has not received much communication from the state about any cases. The state only reached out regarding two cases. Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 4 of 8 Mario also provided a report on the misdemeanor probation department since the director is on family leave. There was a total of 40 new cases received in the previous month. A total of 32 cases were closed. The office received a total of $18,387.73 in fees in June. Personal Property Taxes Discussion Staff present: Nina Lagle Public present: Mike Walker Mike stated that he is originally from the McCall area. He has been building homes for the majority of his life. He helped with building an indoor archery range in Eagle. The project called for four A/C units to help with cooling the property. The owners wanted to get into business sooner, so they wanted less units to start with. With the specs that were passed off on from the owner, it led to issues with mold and water damage. After he moved here and bought some lots he was sued by the owner of the archery range. To cover the costs of the settlement he had to sell his home. His lawyers for some reason did not submit two of the lots that he owned as part of the lawsuit. The two parcels taxes were sent to his ex-wife and not to him. He recently found out about the owed taxes and wanted to discuss these with the Board today. Nina stated that the two parcels are about to be deeded over to the county as part of the tax deed process. Once that takes place he would have to pay the taxes in total to prevent the parcels from being sold by the county. Commissioner Howell moved to waive the interest, penalties, and fees in the amount of $1,338.52 under the condition of the 2022 taxes being paid by July 24th , for parcels RP007340030040 and RP007340030030. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Meeting recessed at 11:53 am. Meeting reconvened at 1:16 pm. Comp Time Payout Discussion Staff present: Mark Swenson and Cy Lootens Mark stated that he has a comp time payout request for an employee. The comp time has been built up with the DMV office being short staffed. He is requesting for the comp time to be paid out in full as this employee is likely to build up more comp time over the next few months. Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the comp time payout for the total of 81.65 hours. Seconded by Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Emergency Management Monthly Report Staff present: Kirsten Hartley Public present: Bill Bridges Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 5 of 8 Kirsten gave a report on the emergency management department. She stated that the funds from SHSP are still frozen on the federal level. Jerome County is due for a monitored and audited visit for our grants. She stated that the county is required to keep grant files from the previous three years. There are files for grants back to 2014. During the previous month she was able to attend several meetings with multiple agencies. She finished training on criminal justice information services and privacy. She stated that she has been working on some projects. One of them is regarding a SharePoint she has created to help with her position. She has continued work on the training she is presenting on for an emergency response scenario. The Sheriff also reached out to her to do a presentation on how she can help patrol deputies regarding emergencies. Overlook Project & New Grant Discussion Staff present: Cy Lootens and Tracee McKim Public present: Bill Bridges and Brenda Weekes Bill stated that he received a new grant for the park. He is wondering if he could use those funds to create a trail from the overlook to the bridge. The Board asked if the park owns the land to be able to use for this project. Brenda stated that there is a lease in the works to be able to lease that ground to create a trail. Bill gave an update on the signage that is going to be posted for the overlook. He has someone who has reached out to him about creating an Idaho shaped concrete slab at the entrance to the park. The RV park is charging now for individuals to stay overnight. He stated that the security company that will be looking over the overlook site now has a camera on site. Security will also be monitoring Yingst grade, the disc golf course, and the overlook site. He reported that a trailer has been left at the overlook park for the last two weeks, and the security company is working to have it moved off of site. Brenda discussed the use of a company that can have a QR code created to read the signs to those who are visually impaired. It can also interpret the sign into other languages. The parks board approved the payment to have the QR codes implemented for the signs. Read and Approve Minutes Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the minutes from July 13th. Seconded by Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Sign and Approve Claims Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the claims as presented by staff. Seconded by Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. To see an image of the report please see page 8 of the minutes. Indigent Matters Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 6 of 8 Commissioner Howell moved to approve the indigent claims. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Airport Fuel Prices Discussion The Board discussed the prices of airport fuel. Commissioner Howell stated that he would like to see the individuals who are renting hangars to have a lower price. He also discussed having Commissioner Crouch present for another discussion on the airport fuel prices as he is the liaison for the airport board. Discussion was tabled until Commissioner Crouch was available to attend. County Health Insurance Update Staff present: Cy Lootens and Tracee McKim Public present: Guy Stubbs Guy stated that he has been discussing the renewal of insurance with Blue Cross. The county has had high usage early in the year that led to a high renewal cost. He discussed that the last few months have been great and have lowered the renewal cost a little bit. He then discussed the other options for health services and the quotes that were received from SelectHealth, Pacific Source, and St Lukes Health Plans. Commissioners discussed with Guy the benefits and downfalls of each plan as well as the yearly costs to switch. The costs for SelectHealth and Pacific Source were lower than the renewal from Blue Cross. The commissioners asked Guy to return next week to discuss the Select Health plan in more detail and to include information about an HSA option for employees. The Commissioners intend to select a plan next week while Guy is present. Budget Workshop Staff present: Tracee McKim and Cy Lootens Tracee wanted to discuss the health insurance presentation that was given from Guy Stubbs. The quotes from the different providers were very drastic and SelectHealth was much lower than all of the other quotes. She stated that this could be the best option for the county for the upcoming year. The Board agreed that this would likely be the best option. Tracee also went over the research that she did into the different HR directors of similar sized counties in the area. She found that Jerome County’s HR director is getting paid a higher wage than other counties in the area or of similar size according to the Association of Counties salary survey. Memorandum of Understand with Twin Falls County Regarding Veteran Affairs Services The Board discussed the MOU that was sent from Twin Falls County. The MOU discusses the veteran affairs services that have been provided and the funds used to provide those services. A max amount was included to not exceed $28,064.14 for services rendered. Monday, July 20, 2026 Page 7 of 8 Commissioner Watkins moved to sign the MOU agreement between Twin Falls County and Jerome County relating to veteran affairs offices . Seconded by Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote. Meeting adjourned at 4:18 pm. ________________________ ______________________________ Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk A. Ben Crouch, Chairman ______________________________ Charles M. Howell, Commissioner ______________________________ Art Watkins, Commissioner BUDGET TOTALS DEPARTMENT PAYROLL — PAY — TOTAL eee og ESS ES SS -Sireeasurer 5 gare re ts rarer) AHUMAN RESOURCES _{ §_.062 $0 |___{@ 2.08230 COMMISSIONERS _ 5 _7.080.00$ _s7.42 3 10 -6|CORONER———S—=~dS ~i19.22| ~——=«dt SS ~—'1,019.22 | Tn|SULONG < GROUNDS MAL $ —2.21.<0[S —THEOT|S —Tass47 | 14/EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN| $__2.120.00[ FSJEXTENSION AGENT [S506 23S Tia} Sagat Fgjetectons ee ELECTIONS —— rl es GENERAL $ 21,325.39 | $ 3, 604. 9991/3 24,930. 38 sis T2208} — 2 20280 GIS 2,202.80 2. 202. 80 Pee sart a oemor|s earl ume VETERANS | eee ub Total (General Func Sen DeTEnTON [ez goun|s somes |s ena ADULT PROBATION 8, 328. 02 8. 328. 02 | 7IPROSECUTOR | $32,036.94 /$ 255.94] $ 32,292.88 | | 8|PUBLIC DEFENDERS a eC | 9| JUVENILE PROBATION 12,619.68 a $ 12,619.68 | 18]}GENERAL JUSTICE ; 50,599.08 463.64 | 3 51,062.72 | [Sub Total (Justice Fund) $ 295,835.67 : 10,550.99 |$ 306,386.66 3 S_4,902.10[$ 810.57 |8 5,7 12.67 | 5|VETERANS MEMORIAL ee ee | 6[DISTRICTCOURT [$8,556.41] 1068.76] $ 9,625.17 | P7FAIR CS 12,949.63] dS 12,949.68 | | S[CAPITAL FAIR TS aE A ee LISELECTION CONSOLIDATION $2,548.75 | ___{8 2.548.785 |20/REVALUATION | $15,544.24 /$ 441.82 |$ 15,986.06 | SOLID WASTE spam 7|/WEED 29] AMBULANCE} 3 WATERWAYS BOARD OO —_—— = BROADBAND GRANT FUNDS $ 1,625,703.23 co 46, 620. 28 | [GRAND TOTAL | $477,039.15 | § 1,693,040.63 | $ 2,170,079.78 6) 651-65 6A) 69 £9) 69/45] 44).69