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minutes meeting date 2026-04-16 · fetched 2026-09-09 · 15651 characters · official file · plain text
Thursday, April 16, 2026
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JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Thursday, April 16, 2026
PRESENT: Ben Crouch, Chairman
Charles Howell, Vice Chairman
Art Watkins, Commissioner
Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk
Meeting convened at 9:00 am.
Interview of Sheriff Candidate – Robert Rausch
Cy Lootens, Jesus Mendoza, Julie DeWolfe Arroyo, Carrie Ploss, Allen Ploss, Mark Swenson,
Anthony Gratzer, Julie Taylor, Gary Taylor, Marisela Aguirre, Troy Tolman, Katrina Gratzer,
Rick Bohling, and Andrea Gonzalez were present.
The Board thanked everyone for attending. The candidates that are to be interviewed today are
the three candidates that the Republican Central Committee recommended.
Commissioner Crouch asked if appointed, can you commit to serving the remainder of the term
and what assurances can you provide this board and the public, that you will bring stability to
this office? Do you have a 90 day plan?
Rob answered that yes he can fill the rest of the term. He would like to run again after he is
appointed. He also provided details regarding his 90 day plan.
Commissioner Howell asked what is your interaction with post and other candidates?
Rob answered that he has a good relationship with those from POST. He used to train new
recruits and is very familiar with them. He also has worked with them in his position at CSI. He
does know both of the other candidates and has good working relationships with them.
Commissioner Crouch asked what do you see as the appropriate working relationship between
the Sheriff’s office and the board of County Commissioners? How will you keep the
Commissioners informed without compromising your independence as essentially an elected law
enforcement officer?
Rob answered that he wants to keep the Commissioners informed.
Commissioner Howell asked that if appointed, what’s the first thing you want to do?
Rob answered that he would like to sit down with the deputies in the office and get to know them
better.
Commissioner Howell asked how will you interact with the numerous candidates who have
applied for the position, including one who is still in the department?
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Rob answered that he wouldn’t have any issues with the other candidates. He already knows
them from previous interactions and would be able to work with them going forward.
Commissioner Crouch asked how do you ensure that policies such as the use of technology are
used appropriately and within legal bounds?
Rob answered that he knows that there have been issues with the use of technology, especially
the flock cameras. He would like to see those used appropriately.
Commissioner Howell discussed the issues with PTO and ESL and how that has affected the
budget, and what the solution would be for these issues?
Rob answered that the best way to resolve this issue is through forced time off. If deputies are
building up too much time than you need to start to enforce time off to not affect the overall
budget.
Interview of Sheriff Candidate – Gary Taylor
Cy Lootens, Jesus Mendoza, Carrie Ploss, Allen Ploss, Mark Swenson, Anthony Gratzer, Julie
Taylor, Gary Taylor, Marisela Aguirre, Troy Tolman, Katrina Gratzer, Rick Bohling, and Andrea
Gonzalez were present.
Commissioner Crouch asked if appointed, can you commit to serving the remainder of the term
and what assurances can you provide this board and the public, that you will bring stability to
this office? Do you have a 90 day plan?
Gary answered that he wants to finish this term. He may run for another term afterwards. He
feels it’s important to train the next generation of leaders. The office is fully staffed and he feels
lucky for those that are working here. The office has been able to bring in other people from
other departments and has been successful in keeping them. He doesn’t want to change much of
anything in the first 90 days. He wants to work with the Commissioners regarding the budget.
Commissioner Howell asked what is your interaction with post and other candidates?
Gary answered that he has a great interaction with post. He and his wife had dinner with the
director during the last week. He has stayed in touch with them over the years to be able to
address any issues. He feels that it is important to listen to those in post.
Commissioner Watkins asked why do you want to be the Jerome County Sheriff?
Gary answered that there are times that he has been tempted to step away. He feels that the thing
that has kept him around is the love for the people that he works with. He wants to try and write
this. Those in the office could have gone to other places but they stayed and he owes it to them to
rectify this.
Commissioner Crouch asked what do you see as the appropriate working relationship between
the Sheriff’s office and the board of County Commissioners? How will you keep the
Thursday, April 16, 2026
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Commissioners informed without compromising your independence as essentially an elected law
enforcement officer?
Gary answered been the liaison between the commissioners and the sheriff office. He wants to
continue that and work on more issues that come up and any issues with the budget.
Commissioner Howell asked that if appointed, what’s the first thing you want to do?
Gary answered that the first thing that he would like to do is tell the staff that we will make it
through this. He doesn’t see himself doing much of anything different. He likes that there has
been a lot of good things done by the leadership of the office.
Commissioner Watkins asked if you will be able to keep your staff and deputy sheriffs together?
Gary answered that the staff that is in the office would stay if he was appointed. He supports the
many members of the staff and leadership of the office and that they support him. He wants to
rely on his staff to also help with this transition.
Commissioner Crouch asked what metrics would you use to evaluate the success of the Sheriff’s
office, and how would you ensure proper training and supervision of deputies?
Gary answered that he wants to see the way to retain the members of his staff. He feels that it is
important to not have to continue to hire more people over and over, but to retain the staff that
are already trained.
Commissioner Howell asked how will you interact with the numerous candidates who have
applied for the position, including one who is still in the department?
Gary answered that he would encourage anyone to apply for the position. He feels that he would
not change the way he interacts with anyone even if he was not appointed to the position. He
feels that he is firm but fair and likes to say things as they are. He feels that it is important to
know where people stand with you.
Commissioner Crouch asked how do you ensure that policies such as the use of technology are
used appropriately and within legal bounds?
Gary answered that some of those issues are something that have come up and become a hot
topic. He feels that it is important to reach out to and maintain relationships with other
departments. He has a great relationship with ICRMP and the prosecutors office. There would be
no policy that is implemented that would be illegal. There has been a policy implemented
regarding the flock cameras. There are audits to make sure that things are being used properly.
Commissioner Howell discussed the issues with PTO and ESL and how that has affected the
budget, and asked if forced time off is the answer to the budget issues?
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Gary answered that he has some ideas about how to rectify the budget issues for the sheriff
office. He knows that there are issues with some of the employees, especially those who work
longer shifts. He wants to look at several different options that could be considered to rectify this
issue.
Commissioner Watkins asked what the hardest part of the job is with the experience that you
have?
Gary answered that the hardest part of his position is shutting it off. He does talk about it at
home, but it is important to shut it off and have a life. He teaches this to his staff and wants to see
them have a good balance in their life to be the best person at work. He works to do a lot of work
to make sure that he stays in shape with the position that he has.
Commissioner Crouch asked how do you approach personal conduct in the context of holding
public office? Is there anything in you background, professional or personal, that could surface
and reflect negatively on you, the Sheriff’s office, or Jerome County?
Gary answered that everyone has made mistakes and that there may be skeletons in his closet but
he can’t think of any. He feels that the best thing is the women that he is married to and how she
helps to keep him balanced in his life. He feels good about his personal life.
Commissioner Howell asked what is your most admired and talked about accomplishment in
your prior service in this job?
Gary answered that the biggest thing that has happened in his job is for the support that he
received from other sheriffs around the state. This came during the process of the issues that
came up recently. He is not sure why they all reached out but he appreciated all of that.
Commissioner Watkins asked if there is a question that has not been asked that maybe you would
like to answer?
Gary answered that being in the middle of all of the work that you can become blind to some of
the issues. He has been trying so hard to keep people keeping their heads up and continuing to
come to work. He doesn’t really have any questions for the Commissioners, but that he knows
that there is work that needs to be done.
The Board asked if Gary had any final comments.
Gary stated he knows that this decision is an important one and that he wants to make sure that
the right decision is made. It is important for all of the residents of the county.
Interview of Sheriff Candidate – Matt West
Cy Lootens, Jesus Mendoza, Julie DeWolfe Arroyo, Carrie Ploss, Allen Ploss, Mark Swenson,
Anthony Gratzer, Julie Taylor, Gary Taylor, Marisela Aguirre, Troy Tolman, Katrina Gratzer,
Rick Bohling, and Andrea Gonzalez were present.
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Matt answered that he is able to finish the term. He has 7 years until he can retire. He feels
energetic and healthy. He wants to give up to 12 years of service in the position. He would like
to become familiar with the different departments, employees, and elected officials. This way he
can help to know more about what the office entails. He doesn’t feel that there needs to be a lot
of big changes.
Matt answered that he is familiar with post. He attended post in Meridian. He has not had any
recent interactions with post.
Matt answered that he wants to be able to continue to serve the members of the community. This
is his home. This is where he was born and raised, and that he has raised his own family here. He
feels that there is obviously a need with the position. He has worked for the department for over
two decades and feels it is important for him to step up and lead the department.
Matt answered that he feels that the relationship between the sheriff and commissioners is very
important. He feels that it is important to build relationships with all the departments as well. He
wants to work together as a team to be able to serve the members of the community. He stated
that if you have a bad relationship with someone it makes it hard to work with them.
Matt answered that he would like to be very open to the public. He appreciates those that are
here, and wishes more people could be. He is open to meetings with the public to be able to take
advice and criticism on how the office can improve. He does not feel that this is done currently
and would like to see this improved. He would like to use social media to put out press releases
about the work that the sheriff office does. If this is not done then there will be rumors that will
come up and information that is not true.
Matt answered that he feels that the members of staff would stay if he is appointed. He has
worked with all members of the office and is the longest working deputy at the office. With this
they know his personality and how he operates in his role. He has not had any issues with other
employees and is laid back. He feels that it is important to go to work when it is that time. He has
had some people from the office come to him to talk to him about things and make comments on
their personal life.
Matt answered that he feels that there needs to be a closer look taken at the flock cameras. He is
not sure if there is a policy, but if there is it needs to be looked into more than it is. He would like
to hold a public meeting to discuss the flock cameras and how they are used. This way the public
can also give some suggestions on how to use those and to be able to use them to the best of his
ability.
Matt answered that Rob has been a friend of his for a lot of years. He would like to work with
him if Rob is interested. He does not know the plans of Deputy Taylor. If he is not selected he is
not sure if he would just retire. He would like to sit down with him if he was appointed and
Deputy Taylor was not.
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Matt answered that he feels that the hardest part of the job is to keep employees motivated. He
feels that it is important to keep his word and to keep morale high. He has been in management
and a supervisor over the years, and knows that people can get burnt out. He can relate to the
many different situations that come with the job. He wants to relate to the employees and keep
their spirits high.
Matt answered that he has always been professional in his job. He currently lives in Hazelton.
Everyone there knows everything about each other. There are no secrets that would come out if
he was appointed. He has always been professional. He feels that the whole county is very
connected and that it would be very hard to get away with things because of that. He feels that in
this position that there needs to be support in everything that you do. Your home life needs to be
in order, you need to be approachable, and you need to be professional. He stated that he doesn’t
feel that there is much he would need to change because of his current behavior in his position.
Matt answered that has been in the profession for a long time and has been the type of person to
tell his employees to take their time off. This way it can help with not getting burnt out. That
time is there for those purposes. He feels that the time needs to be taken unless there are staffing
issues. If an employee does that it will help to stay in the work longer and be healthier in the
process.
Matt answered that he has been in this line of work for a long time. He has worked in many
different roles in the sheriff’s office. He has built many good relationships on the east end of the
county and has good relationships with both of the mayors in Eden and Hazelton. He has no
issue attending meetings and being involved. Whether he is appointed to the position or not he
will continue to do the best that he can.
The Board stated that the discussion will continue on Monday and a decision will be made then.
Then on Tuesday the new sheriff would be sworn in.
Meeting adjourned at 10:16 am.
________________________
______________________________
Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman
______________________________
Charles M. Howell, Commissioner
______________________________
Art Watkins, Commissioner
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