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minutes meeting date 2026-08-28 · fetched 2026-10-13 · 14754 characters · official file · plain text
POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 1 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 POWER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Meeting Minutes Commission Chambers 543 Bannock Ave. American Falls, ID 83211 www.powercounty.gov Friday, August 28, 2026, 8:00 a.m. I. CALL TO ORDER The Board of County Commissioners met in special session Friday, August 28, 2026, and called the meeting to order at the hour of 8:00 am, in the Commission Chambers of the Power County Courthouse. II. COMMISSIONERS/STAFF PRESENT: Commissioner Chris Fehringer, Chair Commissioner Kryst Krein Commissioner Jason Povey ABSENT: None STAFF: Sharee Sprague, Clerk Mariano Villa, Deputy Clerk Brock Bischoff, Legal Counsel OTHER PARTIES PRESENT: Jeff Rankin Kim Piper Deanna Curry Macie Evans Kami Chandler Laura Porath III. AGENDA A. NOTICES/REPORTS 1. Prosecutor’s Office Update: Prosecutor Bischoff provided an update on a strong potential job applicant whose identity was kept confidential at the applicant’s request due to current employment. The current county which the applicant is working for, plans to increase the position’s salary to $120,000 on October 1. The current budgeted amount for the position here of $100,000 would not be sufficient, although the applicant is willing to accept less than $120,000 due to other circumstances. Prosecutor Bischoff states that he feels a $10,000 - $12,000 increase would be sufficient. The applicant could potentially begin after providing a two-week notice. Prosecutor Bischoff noted that previously allocated funds may be exhausted by February, making an earlier start preferable. The Commission was asked to identify funding to help bridge the salary gap. The Board directed that a specific salary amount be determined and brought back for discussion. POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 2 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 2. Building & Grounds: Commissioner Fehringer updated the board on asphalt project near Dr. William’s office. The plan is to make it a gradual slope. No action was taken on this item. 3. Commissioner’s Business as Needed: No discussion was held for this item. 4. Personnel: No action or discussion was held for this item. 5. Board Updates: No action or discussion was held for this item. B. MOTIONS: 1. Agenda: A motion to approve the special agenda for Friday, August 28, 2026, was presented by Commissioner Povey with a second by Commissioner Krein. Following audible call of the Board, motion unanimously carried. 2. Budget Workshop: The Commission held discussions regarding the fiscal year 2027 budget. Commissioner Krein highlighted the following lines; County Emergency Management (Page 17) • Travel line previously flagged at $14,980 was confirmed corrected. Transfer/Fleet Management (Page 23) • It was discussed whether a line can be created from the clerk’s line instead of a transfer line. Clerk Sprague explained that a transfer line exists because Deputy Clerk Mariano Villa is paid from the election fund, and the fleet manager duties fall under general government — hence the general-to-general transfer. General Fund – Transfers (Page 24) • Commissioner Krein states that transfers to the election fund and justice fund need to be changed due to a lot of extras but understands why we need it but wants to have further discussions about it going into next year’s budget. Clerk Sprague explained that the Election Fund transfer is mandated to pay for a full-time elections position for county elections functions and states that we have to show that we are levying money to the county to support county election functions. Clerk Sprague states that remaining of funds in the election fund, are coming from consolidated elections. • The Justice Fund transfer has historical precedent; the fund was previously in deficit and has since recovered. Approximately $55,000 was recently deposited into the Justice Fund for corrections in one office. It was stated that once we move money to the Justice fund, we cannot move it out. Billing Administrator (Page 32) • One full-time position line was flagged for potential removal; decision deferred until staffing direction is finalized. • A budget correction can be made once the situation is resolved. • Commissioner Krein states we are not going to need 3 full-time positions in the building administration office. Sick Pool Leave • Questions raised about tracking sick bank usage. 130 hours were approved in fiscal year 2025; 128 hours have already been used this year. • A request was made to begin formally tracking sick bank claims. Fair Board (Page 37) • Commissioner Krein recommends to move part-time grounds and part-time building lines (with associated social security) to a different budget section before they become locked. Ambulance District (Page 42) • $1,000 M2 Security line noted as available for future reallocation. POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 3 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 District Court (Page 44) • Retirement line budgeted at $21,000 despite only $14,000 used of a $32,000 budget in 2026; flagged as a line that could be trimmed to a more realistic figure. • Administration services budget increased 18% while Chief Deputy Clerk Fehringer received only a 3–4% raise; Clerk Sprague explained as a percentage-of-time formula based on district court workload. Juvenile (Page 48) • 11% increase noted; confirmed to be funded by lottery funds and tobacco tax with no levy impact. Probation (Page 49) • Medical contingency of $10,000 confirmed corrected; office supplies line was also discussed. • Utilities set at $2,500 based on analysis of current building costs, though acknowledged as potentially low without full winter data. Sheriff (Page 55) • M2 Security line of $10,500 noted. • Capital IT line of $25,000 confirmed to remain in the budget. Jail (Page 62–63) • Medical insurance budgeted at $264,000 but projected to use only ~$91,000 due to not having full staff. Commissioner Krein states he likes the contingency but states that it’s over budgeted across the board and recommends talking to Gem to have more accurate numbers. • M2 Security services of $25,000 noted. Juvenile Justice (Pages 63–65) • Medical insurance budgeted at $53,000 but projected to use ~$30,000; flagged as potentially including the $10,000 contingency. • M2 Security $1,000 and office equipment $4,000 noted as lines with minimal usage. Sheriff Grants (Page 67) • Boat education and boat equipment supply lines corrected after a system error caused incorrect number migration. • Sheriff Kendall confirmed agreement with the corrections; main grants line was slightly reduced to rebalance. Drug Court (Page 69) • Other expenses increased significantly (from ~$15,592 to ~$36,461) despite only ~$3,000 used. • Explained as a participant-funded and drug-testing-funded account with no levy impact; budget lines reflect fund balance. Funds must remain within the drug court department. Elections (Page 72–73) • Insurance line high due to contingency; reset to $22,000 though actual usage is ~$10,000–$11,000. Commissioner Krein states that he would like to revisit this in the future and get tighter on these lines. • Contract labor line of $30,000 introduced in 2026 to properly pay poll workers or ones working with elections; previously paid from incorrect lines. • Election fund is healthy due to consolidated state funding; equipment upgrades anticipated in the next one to two years. Elizabeth Tischendorf’s Pay (Page 81) • Flagged as lower than comparable positions; recommended for future correction. Tort (Page 84) • Tort numbers increased to $50,000 due to a shift from a standard deductible to a page POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 4 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 of itemized deductibles, some of which are substantial. • Liability insurance has remained flat but may need to increase next year. Waterways (Page 88) • Idaho Power grant line of $89,475 discussed; confirmed as non-levied. • BLM-related changes may affect the grant; follow-up needed with Ron and Brandon. Water Rights Bond (Page 95) • $50,000 in professional services noted as a contingency line. • Concern raised about legal fees being incurred. • A policy was requested to govern when legal counsel is engaged and who is involved. DMV Commissioner Krein noted that the two DMV employees have taken on significantly more responsibilities and expressed a desire to address their compensation. Assessor Porath confirmed her team has taken on added duties, expressed willingness to work with the board next year, and noted concern about employees being salary-maxed with no room for growth despite increased responsibilities. Assessor Porath also mentioned an existing open payroll line of approximately $51,000 that could potentially be used to address compensation. As a result, DMV salary adjustments were deferred to the next fiscal year, with Assessor Porath to discuss options with the board regarding the existing payroll line. Budget Process Commissioner Fehringer discussed improving the annual budget process to avoid last-minute pressure, proposing starting budget discussions on October 1 each year using historical budget data as a baseline. Commissioner Fehringer requested that department heads and elected officials come before the board to formally present added responsibilities and salary requests, with summaries documented in the minutes. Commissioner Fehringer acknowledged the board is still learning and committed to a more transparent, two-way feedback process, while also proposing a year-end review where each department's budget performance is evaluated collaboratively. Consequently, the budget process will begin in October going forward, all salary and responsibility requests will be formally presented, discussed, and documented in meeting minutes, and year-end budget performance reviews will be implemented. Levy Discussion Clerk Sprague presented a summary of the projected levy change, noting that the anticipated levy is $140,042 more than last year. The breakdown includes increases in solid waste (+$168,320), tort (+$24,972), the Justice Fund (+$63,471), ambulance (+$13,638), and the ambulance board (+$3,000), while all other funds reflect reduced levies. Commissioner Krein expressed reluctance to vote for the budget if the levy cannot be held flat or reduced, citing campaign commitments to lower taxes. In response, Clerk Sprague noted that even when the county reduced its levy by $119,000 in a prior year, individual taxpayer bills still increased due to other taxing districts, and she also highlighted diesel fuel costs exceeding $5 per gallon as a significant inflationary pressure affecting all departments. Ultimately, the board acknowledged that the levy increase is largely driven by solid waste, tort, the Justice Fund, and the ambulance—areas with limited discretionary control—making it difficult to lower taxes in the current environment while maintaining essential services. Salary Increase Discussions were held for a 4% increase for employee’s rather than a 3%. Assessor Porath expressed concern about being maxed out on salary while taking on added responsibilities and POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 5 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 requested to be part of future salary conversations. The extra percentage for the increase will be drawn from trimmed insurance contingency lines. Clerk Sprague clarified that she did not pad her numbers as alleged by Commissioner Krein and expressed willingness to revert to a 3% increase if preferred and states that if they did authorize the 4% that she would need to rework the entire budget. Treasurer Curry stated she is fine with a 3% across-the-board increase to address specific adjustments next year. Prosecutor Bischoff expressed frustration that the current budget season was disorganized, with budgets provided only on the day of presentation despite having adequate time. Assessor Porath expressed concern over declining property values, lower tax bases, and upcoming minimal parcel additions for next year, noting that while her team has taken on heavy responsibilities, she does not feel a salary survey is needed and plans to utilize a dedicated budget line for staff adjustments. Following discussion a motion to do a 4% increase across the board, with exception of the adjustments that have already been made for the Prosecutor’s office, was presented by Commissioner Krein with a second by Commissioner Povey. Following audible call of the board, the motion unanimously carried IV. EXECUTIVE SESSION: 1. Executive Personnel Session I.C. 74-206(1)(b) 8:01 am: A motion to enter into executive session to consider personnel actions pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) was presented by Commissioner Povey with a second by Commissioner Krein. Deputy Clerk Mariano Villa conducted roll call on the motion; • Commissioner Povey, AYE • Commissioner Krein, AYE • Commissioner Fehringer, AYE Following roll call of the Board, motion unanimously carried. Upon conclusion of discussion, Commissioner Fehringer declared the meeting open at 8:11 am. 2. Executive Personnel Session I.C. 74-206(1)(b) 9:12 am: A motion to enter into executive session to consider personnel actions pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) was presented by Commissioner Povey with a second by Commissioner Krein. Deputy Clerk Mariano Villa conducted roll call on the motion; • Commissioner Povey, AYE • Commissioner Krein, AYE • Commissioner Fehringer, AYE Following roll call of the Board, motion unanimously carried. Upon conclusion of discussion, Commissioner Fehringer declared the meeting open at 9:15 am. V. ASSESSMENTS/CONCLUSIONS: 1. Next Meeting: The next regular session for the board to meet is slated for September 14, 2026 2. Adjourn: Having no further business to come before the Board, a motion to adjourn was presented by Commissioner Povey with a second by Commissioner Fehringer. Following audible call of the Board, motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 9:21 am. The foregoing minutes were approved by the Board of County Commissioners during the Regular Board Meeting held September 14, 2026. ATTEST: __________________________________ COMMISSIONER FEHRINGER, Chairman POWER COUNTY COMMISSION Page 6 of 6 SPECIAL SESSION MINUTES Friday, August 28, 2026 MARIANO VILLA, Deputy Clerk Mariano Villa Jr.
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