IAC District 1 Meeting Recap – April 2024

By: Benjamin Allen, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney, IAC District 1 Chairman

The IAC District 1 meeting was held April 12th in Coeur d’Alene, with elected officials from all five northern counties participating. The legislative committee chair, Luke Omodt, commended IAC for its proactiveness during the legislative session, and IAC Executive Director Seth Grigg recapped a number of bills that IAC worked on during this session. 

Following the legislative update, representatives from county offices provided reports to the group which were highlighted by the following:

– Assessors will be finalizing the submission of Property Tax Reduction (PTR) applications, also known as the circuit breaker, which is a state-funded program that is vitally important to senior citizens, disabled veterans and widow(er)s.  

– Clerks reported on a recent push among constituents for hand-counting ballots and have compiled research indicating the costs that would be incurred ifsuch a task was required. 

– Coroners submitted a written report that contained discussions about accreditation for all offices to ensure uniform standards and expanded access to grant funding. 

– Prosecutors reported on the inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel, emphasizing a need for counties to reevaluate attorney pay for prosecutors in order to keep up with unprecedented market demands.

– Treasurers worked with the legislature to finalize cleanup on last years’ property tax relief bill which should make homeowner’s property tax relief easier to administer.  

“In District 1, we incorporate elected office reports into every meeting so that a representative from each elected office has an opportunity to educate other offices on pressing matters unique to them,” said Benjamin Allen, Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney.

Additionally, representatives from Senator Risch’s and Governor Little’s offices updated the group on immigration policy involving the interior secretary, proposed EPA air quality rules, and the expansion of Sheriff’s authority to close state highways. An informative presentation was given on the Idaho Counties Risk Management Program (ICRMP) insurance pool by Executive Director Tim Osborne. Osborne explained in detail how the insurance pool for Idaho Counties provides stability to the insurance market for public entities.

The meeting was capped off with county updates where representatives from each of the five northern counties noted current issues within their jurisdictions. “Hearing what issues are being prioritized by other elected offices provides insight into how we can support each other and makes all of us better,” said Allen.

The next meeting of IAC District 1 will be July 12th, where the district will vote on a budget, review updates to their by-laws, and begin planning for their fall legislative event known as Coffee & Counties, wherein the district will host state legislators in an informal informational setting.

“The collaborative structure provided by IAC through District meetings fosters growth from within and helps our counties to move forward together,” Allen said.