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minutes meeting date 2026-05-04 · fetched 2026-09-09 · 20184 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text
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JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Monday, May 4, 2026
PRESENT: Ben Crouch, Chairman
Charles Howell, Vice Chairman
Art Watkins, Commissioner
Cy Lootens, County Clerk
Meeting convened at 9:00 am.
Commissioner Reports
Commissioner Watkins – Commissioner Watkins reported that Tuesday he attended the Rotary
meeting, County Sheriff Taylor spoke. Camille Barigar with Jerome 20/20 also spoke at the
meeting. Wednesday he attended the candidates forum at the Jerome Library hosted by the
Civics Club. Thursday, he went to Idaho National Laboratory on the field trip to visit the facility.
Highlights of the field trip were the test reactor and the fuel complex. Friday morning, he spoke
to Bill Colley on KLIX about the county, Sheriff Taylor attended the radio show with him.
Commissioner Howell – Commissioner Howell reported that on Monday he spoke to the Farm
Bureau at a banquet about protecting farmland from energy development. Tuesday, he attended
the ribbon cutting at the new St Lukes rehab center for physical rehabilitation. After the ribbon
cutting was a community board meeting for Jerome St Lukes. Fund raising and donations to the
community were discussed. Wednesday, he attended the Mid Snake River Water Resource Board
meeting and the Southern Idaho Solid Waste meeting. And he attended the meet the candidate’s
event at the library. Thursday, he went on the field trip to INL. He stated the business part of the
tour was the most interesting. They discussed the costs of running the facility. Friday, he
attended the Lincoln County high school rodeo, and Saturday he attended the Boots and Bling
fund raiser event for St Lukes and Jerome High School.
Commissioner Crouch – Commissioner Crouch reported that on Tuesday he attended the Rotary
meeting and the ribbon cutting at St Lukes rehab. Wednesday, he attended the meet the
candidates night at the library and streamed the event on the Northside Journal Facebook page.
He said the video had many views. Thursday he also went on the field trip to INL. And on
Saturday attended the Boots and Bling event.
Reappointment Ballots for Mid Snake River Water Board
Commissioner Howell moved to reappoint Tanner Johns and Arlen Morgan to the Mid
Snake River board. Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a
unanimous vote.
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Extension Office Monthly Report
Steve Hines was present
Steve was present to give his report. He stated the report is for the months of March and April.
He gave a report of the activities of his office for himself, and others in his department.
Highlights of the period included: 4H shooting sports training, attending the annual conference in
Moscow, meeting members of the fair board, the color me healthy event regarding healthy foods,
planning the 4H health cooking club, teaching nutrition classes to third grade students at Horizon
Elementary, leather craft projects and Beef weigh ins for the fair.
To see an image of the report please see page 8 of the minutes.
GIS Department Monthly Report
Mark Reyes was present
Mark Reyes was present to give his monthly report to commissioners. Apart from his normal
duties, Mark stated he took drone photos of the canyon park last month. He also presented the
website clicks for certain maps and web pages related to his work to show the commissioners
how often his data is viewed on the county website. The most visited page is the Jerome County
parcel map. He shows that it had over 60,000 visitors last month.
To see an image of the report please see page 10 of the minutes.
Run Hide Fight Class, Fire Extinguisher Class, Stair Chair Discussion
Eric Jackson, David Lacille, and Matthew McGregor were present
Deputy Eric Jackson presented to the commissioners a recap of the Jerome City Fire’s work at
the admin building. Including using their ladder trucks to access windows in the building in case
of an emergency. City Fire also trained the security deputies on how to use the buildings elevator
in case of an emergency to evacuate people on the top floor. Eric stated that there will be another
active shooter training course for employees on May 27th. Deputy Jackson also discussed the best
places for employees on the top floor to evacuate the building in case of emergency, and what
windows to use for evacuation now that the city has tested the best access points with their
ladder truck. Jackson also asked the commissioners if there was interest in having the city train
employees on how to use fire extinguishers.
Overlook Project Update
Bill Bridges was present
Bill was in attendance to update the commissioners on the overlook project at the Snake River
Canyon Park. He stated that they have received two bids for the cost to pour a concrete platform
overlook. The bids are higher than the original approved amount, so he has asked the
commissioners to review the two bids and make a motion to accept one. After discussion the
commissioners decided to accept the bid from Hayes Construction.
3 | P a g e
Commissioner Howell moved to approve the bid from Hayes Construction for the
overlook at Snake River Canyon Park in the amount of $144,312.00 as the low bidder.
Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Later Bill discussed the building permit requirements from County P&Z for the buildings going
to the overlook project. He also informed the commissioners that the parks board meetings will
be moving from 11am to 9am on the first Thursday of every month at Blue Lakes Country Club.
Meeting recessed at 11:50 am.
Meeting reconvened at 1:13 pm.
Memorandum Decision for Danso LLC, Two Zoning Map Amendments Ordinances 2026-5
and 2026-6
Kacie Buhler, Ryan Christiansen were present
Kacie Buhler presented to the commissioners a copy of the rezone for Danso LLC for a zoning
map amendment from residential to recreation. Legal counsel reviewed the amendments for a
decision to be made by the commissioners. Commissioner Crouch reviewed the amendment and
stated that it reflects their previous discussion.
Commissioner Crouch made a motion to accept and approve the memorandum of
understanding for Danso LLC along with ordinance 2026-5 and ordinance 2026-6.
Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.
Point of clarification: Kacie stated that ordinance 2026-5 is the amendment for the Danso LLC
rezoning, and ordinance 2026-6 is for the Simmons zoning map amendment where property was
de-annexed and a zone had to be re-assigned.
63-602C Charitable Exemption Application Discussion for Crossroads Point Recreation
and Exposition Center
Mark Swenson and Blair Crouch were present
Commissioner Crouch recused himself before the meeting began and left the room at 1:28pm
Mark Swenson stated that at the Board of Equalization hearing last year the commissioners
granted a provisional exemption for the property in question at Crossroads so that they could
apply for a charitable property tax exemption. Mark presented the application to commissioners.
Commissioner Watkins asked Blair if the building is ready to be built. Blair informed the
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commissioners that the 56,000 square foot facility is in the works. It will include a recreation
center, expo center and courts for various sports including basketball and pickleball.
Commissioner Howell asked if there were other uses for the building. Blair listed the intended
uses for the space including an event center and recreation center for the sports he mentioned.
Commissioner Howell stated:
Based on the letter provided by the IRS and the completed application presented “ I move
to approve the property tax exemption application from Crossroads Point Recreation and
Event Center.” Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed.
Commissioner Crouch returned to the meeting at 1:44pm
Executive Session Per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(a) – Consideration of Hiring an Employee
Matthew McGregor was present
Two candidates for an open position for the IT department were present for job interviews.
Commissioner Howell moved to go into executive session per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(a)
for hiring of an employee. Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a
unanimous roll call vote.
Meeting went into executive session at 2:02pm and returned at 2:39pm
IT Conference
Matthew McGregor was present
Matthew informed the commissioners of a conference for Idaho county IT leaders taking place in
Boise on June 4th. He asked the commissioners for approval for himself and one employee to
attend the conference. After discussion the commissioner approved of the request and Matthew
will sign up for the conference including related fees such as hotels and will present it to the
commissioners in the future.
Coroner Office Discussion
Dan Chatterton and Brent Culbertson were present
Commissioner Howell was briefly excused for a personal matter.
5 | P a g e
Dan and Brent discussed with the commissioners the updates needed, and cost associated with
the updates in order for the coroner office to begin working out of the old public defenders
building. Dan is requesting a large cooler area for storage. Brent asked if a wall or fence needs to
be erected for privacy. Dan stated only a fence with privacy slats is required. Other needs like
drains and updated fixtures and plumbing to the building were discussed. Brent estimated that
the cost to update the building for the coroners’ needs will be about $40,000. Commissioners
asked Cy Lootens the County Clerk if that was in the budget this year for the county. Lootens
stated that based on that estimate and the other potential projects he is aware of for this year that
there are sufficient funds in the county building budget to cover the costs. Commissioners asked
Brent to reach out to get bids on the project.
Commissioner Howell returned and was updated on what was discussed. After the update
commissioners continued to discuss. Commissioner Howell will be reaching out to the
mortuaries in town to find out the severity of the situation related to their assistance and the
needs of the coroner’s office to help determine the scale of the project needed. Commissioners
will continue to discuss this at a future date.
Airport Lease Review
Marty Luhr was present
Commissioners reviewed the lease presented to them regarding a hangar for Mark Doer. After
discussion:
Commissioner Crouch moved to sign the Mark Doer hangar lease that switches it from
his company name to his personal name. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The
motion passed with a unanimous roll call vote.
Executive Session Per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) for Personnel
Jesse Vallez and Sam Bues were present
Commissioner Howell moved to go into executive session per Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b)
for personnel. Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous
roll call vote.
Executive session began at 3:34pm and ended at 4:46pm
Sign and Approve Claims
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Commissioner Crouch moved to approve the claims as presented by staff.
Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
To see an image of the report please see page 7 of the minutes.
Read and Approve Minutes
Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the minutes. Seconded by
Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Meeting adjourned at 5:12 pm.
________________________
______________________________
Cy Lootens, Clerk
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman
______________________________
Charles M. Howell, Commissioner
______________________________
Art Watkins, Commissioner
7|Page
BUDGET TOTALS
DEPARTMENT PAYROLL ACCT PAY GRAND TOTAL
FE
2IASSESSOR.——SSC~SSCSSCSCSCS SSS SC
3|TREASURER———Ss|SSSSCSC~idT SSS
_4|HUMAN RESOURCES | _———~*«(|S<~ SSCS
[sleQMMIssIONERS Pg
“6|CORONER
-O|BUILDING & GROUNDS MAINT.______|S__51446|§ 514.46
-TilEWERGENCY wanacemeNT [3
HS|EXTENSION AGENT [seas iba
-14|DATAPROCESSING_|_—~*+(| SSS
HS|ELECTIONS | ——[s —"a5.85 [sa]
Me|CHARITY | |$ 17,000.00 |$ 1,000.00
Mig|GENERAL______—~+(| —-*(|$ 2.641.903 |§ 2,647.93 |
2I|PLANNING&ZONING | —~+«(|~ ——SS—~ SSCS —C*?
mies TSTCTCSC~wSSCSCSCSCSS
'29|GENERAL FUNDRESERVE| ———~*«('|—SCS—S SC —~™
S0\VETERANS Tg
|__|Sub Total (General Fund) __ [$<
a/SHERIFF
-SISHERIFF- DETENTION ——[ Ts e586 [S853
6|ADULT PROBATION | ———~*«('S-—S~« BATTS —~884.19 |
T|PROSECUTOR | |$ 398.00|$ 398.00 |
8|PUBLIC DEFENDERS | —~«|~ Ss—<C~SSSC CS”?
" 9|JUVENILE PROBATION | __|S88.00|$ 68.00
ie|GENERAL JUSTICE [eT
|__|SubTotal (Justice Fund) |$ - |$ _6,288.67/$ 6,288.67 |
“SIAIRPORT SS 3,102.50 83,102.80
S|VETERANS MEMORIAL | ——~«|~SststC<C~S~SCSCSC~C~C~SC~*?
6[DISTRICTCOURT | ———S~dCSC~S~«SABSSYCSC~C~*«SABS
a
9|CAPITALFARR—~<(| —SC~<~dTSCSCS~‘i SSC SY
M|HEALTH DISTRICT __|———~«<YSstCS SSCS
HIS|ELECTION CONSOLIDATION fg
P20|REVALUATION
-33[souip Waste
raaiTORT.SSCSC~sSCtC~C‘~‘TSCSCS~SS SCS
a7WEED SSCS SSS SSS
-29|AMBULANCE——~*(| SS SS TC
'38|WATERWAYSBOARD_|_—~——~«([SsSs~CS~— SSC CS
-38|WATERWAYS SHERIFF |_—~—~—~«([—Ssé<CS~S~sSSCSCC*
"39|BROADBAND GRANTFUNDS———~«|——SCS<‘“—T SSS
r41|BOND REDEMPTION [| ——S«d|—SCSCS~ SSCS
'48|AMERICAN RESCUEPLAN | ——~«| SCS SCS
SubTotal _————=«([$ ~~ - ~+|$ 3,341.00|$ 3,347.00
14,057.33
Extension Department Monthly Report
March-April 2026
Delivered May 4, 2026
Steven Hines
a Chair and Ag Extension Educator
Conducted an 8 hr 4-H shooting sports training in the rifle discipline for adults
* Submitted a poster abstract and poster for our upcoming Count Ag Agents national meeting
o it won first in state and western region and will be in final four at nationals [Demonstration research)
Participated in a Promotion & Tenure workshop- recruited to share my years of experience on the P&T committer
Conducted a farm visit and identified clover root curculio in alfalfa
Met with a colleague to plan a demonstration study to evaluate cool-season grass species for our area
Met with members of the Twin Falls and Snake River SCDs to discuss a cover crop/irrigation demonstration study
Attended Extension Annual Conference in Moscow the first week of April
Attended an advisory board meeting for the Extension forage specialist
Attended a meeting to discuss the reworked IAMP grant. | am the Central District Extension contact for that program
Meet with our irrigation specialist to discuss a project that we plan te apply for IAMP grant funds to conduct
Conducted an office staff meeting
Met with members of the fair board, fair management, and food booth committee to discuss some insues of contention.
Worked with some insurance adjusters to help identify BYDV and HPV in some winter barley from Cassia County
Spent a lot of time planning projects far this coming gravwing season
We did pet the shell installed on the new pickup.
* + ¢ ¢ ©£ *¢ ££ © © © © @
Gretchen Manker = FCS (Family & Consumer Sciences) Extension Educator Extension
University/Extension
Attended 2026 Public Issues Leadership Development Conference (PILO), Bethesda, MD
Extension Annual Conference —Moscow, Idaho
E-News — State-wide monthly Extension meeting
Central District Family and Consumers Sciences monthly meeting
Jerome County Extension Office meeting
Central District Faculty Meeting Planning Committee
Nutrition and Health
* Worth Side Head Start, Cobor Me Healthy, Colorful Fruits and Veggies, and Where Foods Grow
* Worth Side Head Start parent meeting, Taught a lesson on the Benefits of Menu Planning
Food Preservation
* Testing of pressure canner gauges available by appointment = Master Guage sent back to Presto for yearly recalibration for
upcoming food preservation season
* Attended Central District Master Food Safety training
* Healthy Meals for Busy Families with UW! Central District FCS team te the Master Food Safety Adviser group in Owyhee
County
* Updated Nutrition piece of 4-H Home Food Preservation Series manuals for publication - Freeze Drying Project Manual
* Preserve the Abundance/Preservande la Abundaficia, pressure canning course with lab, with UI Central District FCS team te
bi-lingual audience at Twin Falls County Extension Office and St. Jerome Catholic Church
4-H Youth Development
* Planning youth 4-H Healthy Cooking Club- classes for summer with Pam from lerame Boys and Girls Club
* Cooking 101 at Jerome Boys and Girls Club (4x/Manth)
Celia - Community Nutrition Instructor - Eat Smart Idaho (E51) District
* Attended Eat Smart idaho Monthly Meeting Twin Falls County Office New Curriculum Training — Eat Smart with My Plate
Atiended North Side Interagency Service Providers meetings
Youth Classes:
© Taught nutrition classes te all third-grade students at Horizon Elementary on Healthier Foods Fast and Read It Before You
Eat It, and Power Up Your Day with Breakfast
Adult Classes
9|Page
Taught Cooking Matters (six classes) at the Twn Falls County Extension Office
Teaching a series of nutrition classes at berame Public Library and St. Jerome's Catholic Church
Attended Migrant Family Night at Filer Elementary School to recruit class participants.
Attended Northside Head Start parent meeting to recruit adult participants
‘atie Scheer--4-H Youth Development
fla I
* Central District 4-H Staff meeting in Cassia with professional development on Conflict Management
* Leathercralt project meetings- 8 Jerome County youth
* Beef Weigh-in-weighed 90 beet animals (down a little bit from last two years).
® Enrollments are complete for the year 252 youth (same as last year), 49 leaders (3 new leaders), and 18 new families.
« Awards Committee Meetings
«Cycle of Service Leadership ZOOM Training for AmeriCorps site supervisors
* AmeriCorps member interviews
« 4-H Camping meetings with the fair office
* Market Animal Sale Committee Meeting
* Leaders Council Meeting
» Creative Chaos Spring Break Day Camp 18 youth participants. Youth learned about the colors and planting by decoration a
pot then planting a succulent. Youth also is vegetable art using paint and vegetables.
« Crispy Creations Spring Break Day Camp 14 youth participants. Youth learned about fond safety and eating healthy while
making taco crunch wraps and hand pies.
« Maker Mania Spring Break Day Camp 11 youth participants. Youth learned chemistry while creating sugar vinegar fireworks,
unpoppable bubbles, and edible slim.
«Boys and Girls Club 4-H and STEM programming
ipril Activities
Central District 4-H Staff meeting in Lincoln County with professional development in how to use Al
Turkey arrival
Food Booth Rebuild meeting- We have a building!!! Waiting on Metal but in the meantime, they are doing plumbing and
electrical. Plan is to have it all closed in by Memorial Weekend,
Leathercratt project meetings
Awards Committee Meetings
Fair board Meeting
4-H Camping Meetings with Fair Office
Horse Committee Meeting
Boys and Girls Club Programming
Cycle of Service Leadership ZOOM Training for AmeriCorps site supervisors
Leaders Council Meeting
Scholarship Committee Meeting
Family Night- 1 4-H family and 1 gaining 4-H information family total 5 people
Meeting with Jerome Boys and Girls Club director for summer plan
10| Page
Date: 04/31/26
GIS Department
Monthly Report for April 2026
Ongoing Activities
Data sold to —
Scanned and created maps for customers.
Verify legal descriptions for Planning & Zoning
Back up all GIS data and weekly file and data merge with Assessor's office
Update the Zoning map with changes from assessor's office.
Complete public information request.
Mapping projects reviews and updates
*
Update the parcel data.
Review all maps and online maps.
Update ARE GIS online Layers.
Update County Address Map
Additional Activities
11|Page
-
.
.
Worked on a new workflow for the parcel layer.
Met with Larry Hall to discuss Permit application for buildings at the overlook.
Scanned surveys and plat records for the Recorders office.
Continued to review Road Centerline data and correct and update the data.
Created Parcel buffers query address data for Planning and Zoning
Continuing to migrate all data ta Geodatabases for use in AreGls Pro.
Verified legal descriptions for P&Z.
Attended the Addressing special interest group.
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