IAC’S BLOG

During IAC’s Annual Conference in September, the election and installation ceremony for the organization’s 2021-2022 board of directors took place. Kathy Ackerman, Idaho County Clerk, took her position as Immediate Past President while Chris Goetz, Clearwater County Sheriff, accepted his new role of IAC President. Ada County Coroner Dotti Owens was installed as the First Vice President while Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Vic Pearson was sworn in as Second Vice President. “Now is the time to refocus our efforts and intention…

The Idaho Association of Counties (IAC) recently organized for its Annual Conference where it held its yearly awards presentation. Due to the cancellation of the IAC Annual Conference in 2020, we honored the 2020 award recipients at this year’s Annual Conference. The 2021 Mills-Adler and Syd Duncombe awards will be presented at the 2022 IAC Midwinter Conference in February, and we’ll resume presenting the 2022 awards at the IAC Annual Conference in September 2022. The Mills-Adler Award is given to officials…

At the IAC Annual Conference, the IAC membership debated important policy matters related to county governance. This year, the membership considered eight member-initiated legislative proposals. IAC steering committees advanced seven of the eight resolutions to the full membership for consideration. After robust debate, the membership adopted the seven legislative resolutions. The adopted resolutions are: IGA-01: Requesting the Governor and Legislature to fund the Idaho House and Financing Association Trust Fund to facilitate the development of more workforce housing in Idaho IGA-02:…

The Idaho Association of Counties’ (IAC) Annual Conference resumed for the first time since 2019 at the Boise Centre in the heart of downtown from September 27 to September 29. The three-day conference brought county officials from across the state together for an educational and collaborative event that featured hands-on workshops, presentations by subject-matter experts, large general sessions as well as committee, district, and affiliate breakout sessions. “The opportunities to network, learn and socialize are always highlights of IAC events,” said…

After being unable to meet in person for nearly two years, the Idaho Association of County Assessors (IACA) gathered in Salmon, Idaho for their annual conference in late August. It was a great opportunity to meet and learn with both new and returning assessors. The final evening featured a dinner and installment ceremony where the 2021-2022 executive officers were sworn in (pictured below). “It was great to connect in person, and we’re hopeful for the opportunity to gather again soon,” said…

We are excited to be returning to an in-person conference on September 27-29 in Boise! With the rise of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta Variant, we have understandably received some inquiries about the health and safety protocols that will be in place at IAC Annual. As of right now, there are no local or state restrictions on gathering sizes, so we plan to proceed with holding an in-person event. We will make any adjustments necessary to adhere to all local,…

The Idaho Redistricting Commission just finished its second week of redistricting meetings. During the first meeting, Bart Davis, former U.S. Attorney and former Senate Majority leader, and Dan Schmidt, former Latah County Coroner and Senator, were selected as the co-chairs of the committee. The redistricting commissioners received in-depth training regarding how to use the mapping software as well as what is constitutionally required for them to fulfill their redistricting responsibilities. The Commission is responsible for drawing new congressional and legislative district…

IAC Staff Sara Westbrook and Kristin Cundiff attended the Western States Association Staff Meeting hosted by the New Mexico Association of Counties in Santa Fe, NM from August 26-27, 2021. Representatives from six state associations, including Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, discussed best practices, procedures and strategies for topics like conferences, current policy issues, member communications, external communications and budgeting and financial matters. Attendees chose from one of three breakout sessions, each lasting an hour and a half,…

This past August, the Idaho Association of County Treasurers (IACT) held their annual meeting along the banks of the beautiful Snake River in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The three-day conference was a welcome reprieve from nearly two years of digital conferences and phone meetings. Friends and colleagues gathered to share stories, discuss new legislation and attend educational classes with topics ranging from human resources to municipal investments. New Executive Board officers were also installed for the 2021-2022 year during the ceremony. John…

The Property Taxes and Revenue Expenditures Study Committee held its first interim meeting on Friday, August 27, in Boise. Information about the interim committee including committee members, agenda topics and materials (coming soon) can be found here. The interim committee listened to an update from the State Controller’s Office regarding the implementation of House Bill 73, creating a local government budget repository, alternative appraisal methodologies, local government fund balances as well as a general discussion on ways to provide property-tax relief….

Idaho’s Citizen Commission for Reapportionment has been officially organized by Secretary of State Lawerence Denney. The Commission is an independent, bipartisan committee formed every 10 years to redraw Idaho’s congressional and legislative district boundaries. The Committee is composed of three democrats and three republicans with the sign off of at least four commissioners necessary for a plan to be adopted. The 2021 Commission includes four former legislators: former Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis (Bonneville County), former Senator Dan Schmidt (Latah County),…

In 2017, counties nationwide brought lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies for supplying large quantities of opioids and selling them through deceptive marketing campaigns. The health and financial tolls of the national opioid drug epidemic prompted the lawsuits. Across the country, states are beginning to reach settlements on opioid litigation. These settlements, if agreed and adopted, will provide substantial funds to states and subdivisions for abatement of the opioids epidemic across the country and will impose transformative changes in the way the…

Did you know that in addition to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars directly distributed to counties, there are other funding pots that counties are eligible to apply for? You may be wondering what funding sources are available to citizens in your county and what direct assistance is securable for businesses, families and individuals. Information about applicable funding and direct assistance can be found by visiting NACo’s American Rescue Plan Act Funding Breakdown tool. In addition to the direct federal…

Over the past two years, the Idaho Legislature has been struggling to determine how to alleviate the massive tax shift toward residential property owners. In 2021, the Legislature passed House Bill 389, a comprehensive property tax bill that further capped local government budgets, increased the homeowner’s exemption by $25,000 and adjusted property-tax relief programs such as property-tax deferral and the circuit breaker. However, for most residential property owners, those adjustments will only amount to a drop in the bucket in terms…

The Legislative Council met on Tuesday, July 13th to formalize interim committees. Due to the extended legislative session, interim committees will begin meeting later than in previous years. In total, the Legislative Council authorized seven interim committees and two study committees. IAC will monitor four of the committees: – Committee on Federalism – Committee on Uniform Accounting and Transparency – Study Committee on Expenditure of ARPA Funds – Study Committee on Property Taxes and Revenue Expenditures The Committee on Federalism is…

Every 10 years, Idaho legislative districts are required to readjust based on the latest census by a redistricting commission made up of three Republicans and three Democrats. The committee members are chosen by the Senate Pro Tem, Speaker of the House, Idaho Republican Party Chair, Senate Minority Leader, House Minority Leader and the Idaho Democrat Party Chair. Committee Make Up Senate Pro Tem Chuck Winder appointed Bart Davis, a Bonneville County native. Davis served in the Idaho Senate for almost 20…

As a county leader, you manage several priority-1 decisions, activities, and initiatives every day. Perhaps the most important is personnel development – working hard to make other existing leaders better and emerging leaders ready. As you conduct this work with existing and emerging leaders to make your county stronger, you deserve to have a program that is easily scalable to accommodate your workforce, a program that is non-disruptive to busy schedules, and cost effective so that you have an immediate return…

In 1936, the Rural Electrification Act (REA) was passed to bring electricity to farms. Ninety percent of farms in the United States did not have access to electricity because it was too cost prohibitive to take electrical lines out to these rural areas. By the 1950’s eighty percent of farms had electricity and those numbers continued to increase. Electricity brought new opportunities for farming to advance and prosper. The technology used in farming today is astounding and a critical component of…

The 2021 IAC Salary and Benefits Survey is now available for electronic download. IAC surveyed all 44 counties and a total of 43 counties participated in this year’s survey. The electronic survey is available in an excel spreadsheet so that our members can use the data how they see fit. If you find any errors, please contact Kristin Cundiff and she will get the corrections made. Thank you for your participation in this year’s survey. We had a great response and…

Property Taxes This week we expect to see Senate Bill 1108 receive further amendments on the Senate floor. These will likely affect the new construction percentages to make the bill more palatable to Senators. In addition, House Concurrent Resolution No. 15 was introduced on Thursday, March 11th. It will likely receive a hearing in the House Revenue and Taxation committee later this week. This resolution authorizes the Legislative Council to appoint a legislative interim study committee on property taxes and revenue…