Jerome County | minutes | meeting 2026-03-16 | Commissioners Meeting source: https://www.jeromecountyid.us/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03162026-1624 Monday, March 16, 2026 Page 1 of 6 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 Page 2 of 6 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 Page 3 of 6 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 Page 4 of 6 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 TE|GENERA STEER |S TORT | SATE 18|GENERAL $72,078.02 |$ 199,015.20 271,093.22 21|PLANNING & ZONING $ 15,839.77 15,839.77 29|GENERAL FUND RESERVE $ : 30|VETERANS ——— $ : 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 $ $ $ $ $ $