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Commissioners Meeting

minutes meeting date 2026-10-19 · fetched 2026-11-08 · 18628 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text

JEROME COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Monday, October 19, 2026
PRESENT: Ben Crouch, Chairman
Charles Howell, Vice Chairman
Art Watkins, Commissioner
Cy Lootens, County Clerk
Meeting convened at 9:01 am.
Airport Weekly Report
Staff present: Marty Luhr, Brandon Buckway
Public present: Ralp Kincheloe
The commissioners asked Ralph to attend to discuss the airport as a member of the airport board.
They would like his perspective on questions they had about the airport.
Ralph discussed the fuel prices at the airport and how to make them competitive with other
nearby airports. He stated that the airport board thinks all citizens should have access to the fuel
at the airport to purchase. He discussed the difference in cost for the fuel for planes that are at the
airport and planes landing for fuel. Ralph informed the commissioners that near the fuel pump
there is a posted state ordinance that says you must have authorization to travel the airport to the
pumps. He said if someone stopped in and spoke with Brandon or Marty and were given
permission that would count as authorization to proceed. Commissioners discussed adjusting the
fuel costs for home aircraft and if there is an easier way to do it than the current practice, and if
there is a program or card reader that could be installed to accomplish a fix. Ralph suggested that
planes could input their tail numbers to receive a different price. Brandon will research programs
and procedures on changing the fuel cost at the pump and report to the board next week.
Commissioner Reports
Commissioner Watkins – Commissioner Watkins reported that he attended the department head
lunch on Tuesday. HR was the main focus of the lunch. Tuesday, he attended the Hazelton City
Council meeting. Sheriff Taylor introduced Lieutenant Gratzer to the council. On Thursday he
attended the Tri-County weed meeting. The budget and the current weed season were discussed,

as well as the plan to purchase chemicals for next season. He also attended the Jerome Chamber
dinner Thursday night.
Commissioner Howell – Commissioner Howell reported that he attended the Metropolitan
Planning Organization meeting Wednesday. The third bridge was discussed. All potential sites
for the bridge have been inspected recently. He also attended the Jerome Chamber dinner on
Thursday.
Commissioner Crouch – Commissioner Crouch reported that he attended the county fair board
meeting on Tuesday. They discussed billing questions with the county and milage re-
imbursement. They also discussed the upcoming fair appreciation dinner. On Thursday he
attended the Jerome Chamber dinner. On Friday he attended the Magistrate Commission meeting
to help select the next magistrate judge for Twin Falls County.
IT Purchases/Server Rebuild Contract
Staff present: Matthew McGregor, Barry Biesen
Matthew discussed an upcoming IT conference about cyber security. Once an agenda is posted
for the event he will share it with commissioners. He plans to attend the conference. He also
discussed the mic system in the commissioner’s room and how to update it. Barry has been
working on how to update it and what the costs would be. The update would include new
microphones, and speakers in the ceiling so that it is easier to hear speaking. Barry estimates the
cost to be $1704.99. Matthew also discussed a project at the sheriff’s office that needs
completed. They need a server cluster installed. They would like to hire an outside company to
do the install. The total cost of this project is estimated at $6000. After discussion commissioners
gave Matthew approval to sign up for the IT conference.
Commissioner Crouch moved to approve expenditures as presented for a sound system
and storage build out of servers totaling $1704.99 and $6000 respectively. Seconded by
Commissioner Howell. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Historical Society/IFARM Discussion
Public present: Barbara Mecham

Barbara was present to discuss repairs that are needed at the IFARM. She said the “Poor House”
building needs repaired and needs a new roof. She came to ask the commissioners to sign a letter
of support for a grant that they are applying for to pay for the repairs.
Commissioner Crouch moved to sign the letter of support for a grant to repair the “poor
house” at the IFARM. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a
unanimous vote.
Coroner’s Office Building Discussion
Staff present: Dan Chatterton
Dan was present to discuss a new coroner facility. In previous discussions he has expressed the
need for a new building and cooler space for the county. He spoke with the sheriff and
emergency management to formulate a plan in case a disaster or emergency happened. He stated
that if something were to occur there are not enough resources from his department to handle a
large situation. He is asking to have a building constructed at the sheriff’s office in order for him
to have a larger cooler and working space, since he currently relies on funeral homes in town for
that space. In the new budget this year $100,000 was allocated to constructing a facility for his
office, and he would like to get started planning. The budgeted amount is not enough to build a
large facility, but he thinks it’s enough to build what he needs for now, and the building can
always be upgraded or added on to in the future. His next step will be talking to Brent Culbertson
to figure out what the building would look like and potentially getting it out for bids to build.
County Office Hours Discussion
Staff present: Mark Swenson, Tracy Perkins, Jesse Vallez, Carli Petruzelli, Nina Lagle, Windy
Jay
Mark was the first to speak to the commissioners. He wanted to discuss office hours around
unofficial holidays since it was first brought up at last week’s department head lunch. He wanted
to know if the commissioners were thinking about giving employees the opportunity to leave
early on Christmas Eve or take black Friday off completely. He asked that if they were to give
employees and departments a heads-up weeks or months in advance so that they have time to

plan and get the word out to the public. He said he knows employees appreciate the time off
when it is given on occasion but need time to plan around holidays. Mark also discussed if
holidays could be traded for days like black Friday. His office was curious if Columbus Day
could be worked and the employees could take the day after Thanksgiving off as a holiday
instead. New years eve and Christmas eve were also options his office discussed. Tracy Perkins
asked if the commissioners could survey county employees to see if this interested everyone and
what days they would be willing to trade for one of the other days discussed. The different
buildings and offices were taken into consideration as well. Since some in the sheriff’s office
must work holidays, and the court clerks can only take off official state holidays. The
commissioners like the idea of a survey and will reach out to the county IT department to send
something out to everyone to get more input. The discussion will continue once a survey has
been created and results can be reviewed.
Meeting recessed at 11:50 am.
Meeting reconvened at 1:16 pm.
Law Enforcement Protection Agreements with City of Hazelton, City of Eden, and Valley
School District
Staff present: Rick Bohling, Anthony Gratzer
Rick presented to the commissioners, contracts with the City of Eden, City of Hazelton, and
Valley School District for continued work with the Sheriff’s office. He stated that the contracts
are exactly like last year’s contracts. The services and costs for the entities are the same. Rick
stated that once the contracts are signed, he will give them to the Clerk’s office to record.
Commissioner Crouch moved to sign the contracts between the sheriff’s office and the
cities of Eden and Hazelton, and Valley School District for services. Seconded by
Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Emergency Management Monthly Report

Staff present: Kirsten Hartley
Kirsten was present to give her monthly report to commissioners. She reported that she received
paperwork for the SHSP grant and will be using the funds for radios for the county sheriff’s
office and the Jerome city fire department. Jerome county IT was also able to use the grant to
purchase a badge printer for county employees. These purchases will use up all available grant
funds for this year, but there should be more funds available next year.
Kirsten also discussed the meetings she attended last month, and an annual conference coming
up that she intends to attend with Matthew from the IT department. She also stated that the
Emergency Operations Plan that she created is now complete and is waiting for review and final
approval from the commissioners. The Commissioner stated that they would like to review it and
will get it on the agenda for approval in the near future.
To see an image of the report please see page 7 of the minutes.
Personal Property Taxes Discussion
Staff present: Nina Lagle
Public present: Charla Wilson
Charla stated that she is behind on her property tax payments for the last few years. She has been
paying monthly to get the amounts paid off. She stated that her 2023 taxes will be paid off in
January. Penalties and interest have been added to her back taxes for 2023, and she is asking for
them to be removed so that she can work on paying off 2024. Nina stated that since Charla began
paying off the taxes, she has not missed a payment. She began monthly payments in August of
2023.
Commissioner Howell moved to waive penalties and interest for 2023 in the amount of
$385.17 for Charla Wilson and parcel # RPJ14090010020 due to continued payments.
Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Read and Approve Minutes

Commissioner Watkins moved to approve the minutes. Seconded by Commissioner
Crouch. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.
Sign and Approve Claims
Commissioner Howell 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.
Misdemeanor Probation Monthly Report
Staff present: Andrea Gonzalez
Andrea reported the stats for her office for the month of September. There were 44 new cases, 63
closed cases and a total of 421 cases. Fees collected last month totaled $20,512.39.
Andreas discussed the cleaning of the U/A room. She spoke to Brent to clear the air on the
situation, and a plan is now in place to maintain the room. She also presented to the
commissioners a new alcohol testing kit. She is currently testing its functions to see if she would
like to use them in her office instead of the SCRAM units she currently uses. The cost per device
is $105, with a daily fee of $2 that she would pass on to the users. In her testing she thinks the
device will work better than the SCRAM units. It has GPS tracking and takes photos of the users.
She is asking the commissioners for permission to purchase 2 of the units for use in her office.
Commissioner Howell moved to authorize the purchase of two BACtrack mobile smart
breathalyzers. Seconded by Commissioner Watkins. The motion passed with a
unanimous vote.
To see an image of the report please see page 12 of the minutes.

Meeting adjourned at 2:52 pm.
________________________
______________________________
Cy Lootens, County Clerk
A. Ben Crouch, Chairman
______________________________
Charles M. Howell, Commissioner
______________________________
Art Watkins, Commissioner

BUDGET TOTALS

Emergency Management Office Updates

DATE: 10/17/2026 TIME: 1:30 pm

JEROME COUNTY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
SENT TO: BEN CROUCH, CHARLIE HOWELL, ART WATKINS, RYAN TREANOR, AND
KIRSTEN HARTLEY

NEW BUSINESS UPDATES
Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG), State Homeland Security Program
(SHSP) Grants (UPDATE)
We have received the paperwork for the 2025 SHSP fund release. The documents are ready for
signature so the funding can be released.

Projects
| currently have the following Requests:

- Jerome County Sheriff’s Office

- Needing 30 new portable radios - $31,225.80
- Attachments- $2,480.69

- Total: $33,706.49

- (EAN approved. Waiting on purchase items)

- Jerome County IT
- Badge Printer

- Total: $8,169.29
- (Completed)

- Jerome City Fire Department

- Needing 15 New Radios- $16,245.60

- Radio for Fire Vehicle- $910.35

- Total: $17,155.95

- (EAN approved. Waiting on purchase items)

These three projects will fully expend the remaining 2024 SHSP grant funds as well as all available
2025 SHSP grant funding. As a result, no additional SHSP funds will be available until the 2026 grant
cycle is awarded.

Notes:

MEETINGS/TRAININGS
| have attended the following meetings since last meeting:
- 8/19/2026 - SC/EM Monthly Meeting
- 8/20/2026- Safety meeting
- 8/20/2026- SIRCOMM Meeting
- 8/26/2026- IEMA Monthly Meeting
- 8/26/2026- |OEM Monthly Meeting
- 9/3/2026- Met with First Segregation Fire Chief

- 9/8/2026- Employee Evaluation

- 9/8/2026- Safety Committee Meeting

- 9/11/2026- County EM Luncheon

- 9/15/2026- Fire Extinguisher Training

- 9/16/2026- IEMA Monthly Meeting

- 9/16/2026- SC/EM Monthly Meeting

- 9/17/2026- SIRCOMM Meeting

- 9/29/2026- Meeting with GIS

- 10/13/2026- Department Head meeting

Notes:

SIRCOMM

On October 27th, local Emergency Managers will meet with SIRCOMM to review and update the
Emergency Manager Call List, discuss notification procedures, and identify ways we can improve
coordination and work together more effectively as a team.

Notes:

| Love U Guys Train the Trainer

Verkada, in partnership with the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, will be hosting a free Train the Trainer
Workshop on Thursday, November 5th from 7:30 am-3:30 pm located at the Twin Falls County
Fairgrounds.

The training is designed for school administrators, emergency managers, law enforcement, first
responders, and other community safety partners. Participants will receive instruction on the
Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and Standard Reunification Method (SRM), including scenario-
based exercises focused on coordinated response during school emergencies.

Attendees will receive SRP and SRM training certificates and resources that can be brought back and
shared within their agencies and communities. The goal of the workshop is to strengthen interagency
coordination, standardize emergency response procedures, and improve preparedness for school-
based emergencies.

Notes: Flier attached

IOEM 2026 ANNUAL PREPAREDNESS AND HOMELAND SECURITY CONFERENCE

The Idaho Office of Emergency Management will hold its annual conference December 8-1 0 at the
Riverside Hotel. IOEM will cover attendance costs for up to three representatives from each county. |
have already registered to attend and so has Matthew from the IT Department.

The Idaho Emergency Management Association also hosts an annual conference, which will be held
on December 7th, immediately prior to the |OEM conference.

Notes:

EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN

| am pleased to report that the draft Jerome County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) has been
completed. On September 28th, | distributed the draft plan to 26 individuals and agencies involved in
county emergency operations. Each agency was asked to provide any recommended revisions or
confirm approval by October 16th, and a reminder email was sent on October 13th.

To date, the following agencies have reviewed the draft and provided their approval:

e Jerome County Sheriff’s Office

e Jerome County Coroner

e South Central Public Health District
e Jerome County IT Department

e SIRCOMM

e City of Hazelton

At this point, | would like to discuss how the Board would prefer to proceed with formal approval and
adoption of the updated Emergency Operations Plan, including whether you would like to wait for
additional agency responses or move forward with the approvals currently received.

Notes:

ERIS

| am currently working with Mark Reyes to explore the ERIS Emergency Management Program and
determine how it could be used to develop a customized emergency management system for
Jerome County.

ERIS is a GIS-based system that can bring emergency management information together into one
location and provide a visual, map-based view of resources, hazards, facilities, and other critical
information. Depending on the capabilities available to the County.

Mark and | are currently reviewing the program to determine what features are available to us and
how we could design a system specifically around Jerome County’s emergency management needs.
The goal would be to create a centralized system that improves planning, resource tracking,
situational awareness, and coordination between agencies before and during an emergency.

Notes:

September Statistics 2026

Cases
New Supervised Cases: 44 FEE’S

Probation Fees $5.878.51
Total Number U\A Fees: $10,187.88
Supervised Probation: 421 GPS: $4,446.00
Court Compliance: 180 Scram: $
DUI Court: 24
DV Court: 41 TOTALFEES:
Unsupervised Probation: 199 $20,512.39
Warrants 196
Closed Cases

Total:

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