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Commissioners Meeting

minutes meeting date 2026-03-16 · fetched 2026-09-09 · 13731 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text

Monday, March 16, 2026
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JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Monday, March 16, 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 stated that he attended the rotary meeting.
There was a presentation on the ad litem program. He attended the Snake River park board
meeting. During the meeting there was a discussion regarding the Shoshone falls overlook
project. The brick donation is still doing well for the overlook. There was also a discussion about
putting in a dog park in the county. An update was provided on the shooting range and about
doing archery in the park. Later he went to sign check for South Central Community Action
Partnership. Then he attended the mid snake water conservation meeting. There was a discussion
on the financial situation of the board. The mid snake board has several other discussions
regarding weed abatement and a problem regarding moths in the area.
Commissioner Howell – Commissioner Howell stated that he went to the chamber of commerce
luncheon. There was a presentation regarding the working relationship between the city and
county offices. He attended the horse racing meeting. The dates for horse races are June 7th and
21st. Then he attended the spring sports fundraiser at the high school. Later he attended the farm
bureau meeting. There was a speaker who presented on who can promote agriculture. The Snake
River Canyon Parks will be doing a convention later this year and there will be a presentation
regarding the history of the park.
Commissioner Crouch – Commissioner Crouch stated that he attended the rotary meeting. There
was a presentation on the ad litem program for foster children. He attended the chamber of
commerce luncheon. Then he attended the fair board dinner. There was a presentation on the
theme of the fair this year and events during the fair week. Later he attended the America 250
board meeting. There was a discussion regarding events to do during the year for America 250.
He also went on a tour of the Shoshone Falls overlook project.
Planning and Zoning Monthly Report
Kacie Buhler and Connie Kincheloe were present.
Kacie gave a report on the planning and zoning department. She stated that the department
received $13,168.60 in revenue during February. There was a total of 58 inspections done during
the previous month. There was a total of 39.25 hours spent on code enforcement issues. The
planning and zoning department received a total of 22 records requests. She wanted to discuss
the plans for the meeting on the 23rd. The Board went over the plans for the meeting on the 23rd
and how the flow of the meeting should go. The Board also asked to have all public comments

Monday, March 16, 2026
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included to review for the upcoming meeting. Kacie also stated that there is an open house for a
BESS company that is looking to create a facility in the county. She stated that if the Board plans
on attending then it should be placed on the agenda, and that it could be an issue down the road if
the permit is submitted and goes to an appeal. She also considered that the Board should discuss
the open house with legal counsel to discuss if attendance would be appropriate.
Enterprise Fleet Analysis Presentation
Bobbie Wylie was present.
She stated that she is appreciative of the opportunity to go over the program again. She wants to
discuss the other county vehicles excluding the sheriff’s office. She has worked to learn about
the fleet that the county has and how to start a fleet plan for these vehicles. The county currently
has 28 vehicles with a mix of vehicle types. The plan she has created would lead to vehicles
being replaced more frequently and to lower overall costs for the county. One of the things that
the fleet management program offers is services for the life of the vehicle. There is a large push
to change vehicles, under the program, when they reach a peak time that helps get good value
back before more issues may arise. Then she presented on the process of replacing county
vehicles and how that would affect finances for the county.
Meeting recessed at 11:39 am.
Meeting reconvened at 1:19 pm.
Fairgrounds Capital Improvements
Amanda Worthington and Cy Lootens were present.
Amanda stated that she has received a quote regarding the horse racing barn. The fair board
decided to redo the electrical completely. The total of the bid is $29,888. She reached out to
several of the renters about the stalls to receive more information. There will be a couple of
spotlights added into the barn to help with electrical use during the time. She wanted to confirm
the amount that was left in the budget for capital improvements. The Board suggested that
Amanda check what the budget shows for totals to confirm what can be used from the capital
improvement funds towards this project. Amanda stated she would confirm that and return with
more information on where the funds are sitting.
Emergency Management Monthly Report
Kirsten Hartley was present.
Kirsten gave a report on the emergency management department. She gave an update on the
processing of grants through DHS. She discussed the meetings and trainings that she attended
over the previous month. There was a local emergency preparedness meeting that discussed
ammonia in the Magic Valley. She stated that the presentation was very informative. Then she
worked on the wildfire protection plan for the county.
She stated that she worked on a project regarding options for a portable generator in case of
emergency. She reached out to the City of Jerome and the American Red Cross to see if there are

Monday, March 16, 2026
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any other portable generators in the area. There was another option that was considered with
installing the previous generator that was used at the Administration Offices Building. She
attended the DigB4 meeting. Then she worked to retain insurance for the generator at the
Administration Offices Building. She was also added to a list of individuals who are notified of
road closures.
Tax Cancelation and America 250 Celebration Update
Mark Swenson, Cy Lootens, Connie Kincheloe, and Marty Luhr were present.
Mark stated that the tax cancelation was handled in another way to where there was no
cancelation to present on. He wanted to go over the presentation on the America 250 celebration.
He wanted to go over the ideas that were thought of to have employee involvement for events
during the America 250 celebration. One idea is to have employees sign a copy of the declaration
of independence after they have read it. Another idea was to have an event for employees with a
luncheon. There was a discussion regarding doing a cookie that was decorated for the
celebration. Another idea was to do a coloring contest for children. Then there was the idea of
doing 250 miles for the entire year. During the summer picnic there would be a 5K for the
employees to take part in, and that would count towards the 250 miles challenge. There were
other ideas that were discussed for the community to take part in.
Mark also wanted to discuss a kick off event and when that would take place. He stated that it
could be done at the beginning of April to allow for more time for the other events throughout
the year. The Board stated that there could be some funds used towards these events and that
they will review the budget today to see what could be allocated.
Septic Tank Billing Issue
Marty Luhr and Cy Lootens were present.
Marty stated that he received a bill from an individual. The individual stated that there was a
septic tank that was emptied. The individual stated that the airport septic was emptied instead of
this individuals septic tank. Marty wants to see what to do regarding this issue. The Board stated
that if someone calls out to have a tank emptied, even if the wrong one is emptied, that it is up to
that individual to pay for it.
Marty stated that he did more research regarding the tank motor from the 70’s. The tank would
take between five to six weeks to receive. The current motor could be used until it goes down
and then someone could come to replace the motor within a day. The Board stated that they
would like to see the old motor continue to be used for now and order a new one to have in case
it goes bad.
Marty stated that the airport managers’ meeting is going to be taking place next month. There is
a door prize that is usually brought in from local airports to the meeting. He stated that the
Jerome airport is one of the airports that has not brought a door prize yet. The Board stated that
they would be ok with Marty putting together a door prize to take to the conference.

Monday, March 16, 2026
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Commissioner Crouch moved to approve the expenditure not to exceed $9,000
for shipping and install of the new tank motor, as well as an expenditure for a
door prize basket for the meeting in Boise. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Urban Renewal Agency Board Member Discussion
Brent Tolman was present.
Brent stated that he wanted to discuss a board member appointment. He stated that Roy Prescott
has shown some interest in being on the board and has attended several meetings already. Brent
has known him for several years now and feels he has done a good job of serving the community
in the past. The Board stated that there are some apprehensions with appointing Roy Prescott
especially with some proposed projects that Roy has been trying to bring into the county.
IT Purchases
Matthew McGregor and Cy Lootens were present.
Matthew stated that he has a quote for a new Synology. The Administration Offices Building is
running out of space. This quote is to add on to the current data that is available. This will add
more space for information storage going forward. The biggest issue that is being overwhelmed
with data is for data from the prosecutors and sheriffs offices. The digital data used in cases is
just growing going forward which is leading to such a large increase in digital data on the current
Synology. This add on will create another 160 TB of storage. The total amount of the quote is
$7,318.09.
Commissioner Crouch moved to approve $7,318.09 for additional hard storage
space for the prosecutors back up storage. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins.
The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Matthew stated that the majority of the camera system has been installed. The only cameras that
are left are the more difficult areas to reach with cables. The buildings have been able to start to
receive internet from ETS. The services are not as fast as have been promised so there is still
some work being done to see what could be causing this issue.
Employee Paid Time Off Payout Requests
Commissioner Howell moved to approve the PTO/ESL payouts as presented.
Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Sign and Approve Claims

Monday, March 16, 2026
Page 5 of 6
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 6 of the minutes.
Grant Paperwork from Idaho Department of Parks to Jerome Sheriff’s Office
Commissioner Crouch moved to sign the Grant Paperwork from Idaho
Department of Parks to Jerome Sheriff’s Office. Seconded by Commissioner
Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Read and Approve Minutes
Commissioner Howell moved to approve all minutes with the amended changes.
Seconded by Commissioner Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Meeting adjourned at 3:39 pm.
________________________
______________________________
Ryan Treanor, Deputy Clerk
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman
______________________________
Charles M. Howell, Commissioner
______________________________
Art Watkins, Commissioner

BUDGET TOTALS
DEPARTMENT PAYROLL ACCT PAY GRAND TOTAL

1|CLERK $ 43,802.92 | $ 52.86 |$ 43,855.78
2|ASSESSOR $ = 9,576.54 $ 9,576.54
3|TREASURER $7,676.72 $ 7,676.72

4/HUMAN RESOURCES $ = 3,302.30 | $ 173.36
5|COMMISSIONERS $ 7,950.00 | $ 29.12
1,019.22

SIBUILDING & GROUNDS WAS —U.173.1
10|/BUILDING & GROUNDS MAI[$ 9,173.16 | $ 4,489.09 |$ 13,662.25
11/EMERGENCY MANAGEMEN $ 2,120.00
13)/EXTENSION AGENT 3,776.30 | $ 817.90 | $ 4,594.20

$3,776.
14/DATA PROCESSING 3 8,004.81 33,614.43. 41,619.24
15/|ELECTIONS

3,475.66
7,979.12

ub Total (General Fund) | § 186,522.56 | § 238,197.96] $

S|SHERIFF-DETENTION _|$ _93,818.02|$ _420.17|$ _ 94,238.19 |
6|ADULTPROBATION —s | $_—11,752.40/$ 136.26 |$ 11,888.66 |
7|/PROSECUTOR $33,723.20] $33,723.20 |
B|PUBLICDEFENDERS =| CTE CS eC
Q|JUVENILE PROBATION | $_12,619.70|$ 524.25 $ 13,143.95 |
18 $ 762.73 |$ 138,286.72

Sub Total (Justice Fund) $ 381,258.28 | $ 3,756.27 |$ 385,014.55

3185.27 13,703.61
11,079.46

13,181.17

5|\VETERANSMEMORIAL | —~*&
6|DISTRICT COURT $ 10,518.34
7|FAIR $ 11,079.46

9|CAPITAL FAIR $ 13,181.17
11|HEALTH DISTRICT

15|ELECTION CONSOLIDATION $ 3,333.36
z
23(SOLID WASTE $
zalToRT |
27WEED
29/AMBULANCE | dS $
38|WATERWAYS BOARD |
38|WATERWAYS SHERIFF |
39
pe

41|BOND REDEMPTION
48|AMERICANRESCUEPLAN| —=sS|

ub Total $ 53,469.29|$ 16,416.44|$ 69,885.73

GRAND TOTAL _____|$ 624,250.13 |$ 268,364.67 |$ 679,614.80

3,333.36
21,665.77

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