IAC’S BLOG

The IAC District 3 meeting was held in Adams County on April 10th, 2024. The meeting offered a place for District 3 affiliates to discuss county issues and solutions. Payette County Sheriff Andy Creech called the meeting to order with the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. Sara Westbrook, IAC’s Director of Government Affairs, presented legislative updates and changes from the 2024 legislative session. Following the legislative updates, the members in attendance enjoyed a roundtable lunch where they sat with their…

The Idaho Legislature recessed for five legislative days on Thursday, April 4th after passing a key appropriation bill for the Idaho Department of Transportation. The Legislature will return to Boise on Wednesday, April 10th to wrap up its work for the year and adjourn sine die. Passage of House Bill 770 ensures that counties and other local highway jurisdictions continue to receive over $121 million in state funding for road and bridge maintenance as well as an additional $200 million in…

IAC District Meetings serve as a great resource to Idaho’s county officials. Attendees can gather ideas regarding best practices, receive updates on regional, state, and federal issues, and strengthen relationships through networking. All county elected officials are encouraged to attend their districts’ respective meetings to help them stay actively engaged and up-to-date on the latest issues. Three IAC Districts have meetings scheduled over the next two weeks. District 3 will meet in Adams County on Wednesday, April 10th, at the American…

As the 2024 Legislative Session likely wraps up this week, a key appropriation bill funding state and local highways is still pending. House Bill 723 has thus far failed to advance through the Legislature. The appropriation bill narrowly passed the House on March 20th on a 35-34-1 vote. It subsequently failed on the Senate Floor on a 16-19 vote. This week, legislators will work on a new transportation appropriation bill to replace House Bill 723. IAC is advocating that the new…

Help us celebrate National County Government Month by showcasing your county’s hidden gems all month long!     National County Government Month (NCGM), held each April, is an annual celebration of county government. We invite you to take this opportunity to promote the important programs and services your county offers. You can use social media platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn to highlight the resources provided by your county and to show gratitude to your dedicated colleagues and staff. You can also…

Late Action on IAC Legislative Priorities Early this morning, Senate Bill 1403, modernizing Idaho’s area of city impact law, passed the House on a 69-1 vote. The bill previously passed the Senate and now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature. Senate Bill 1403 was adopted by the IAC membership in September as one of IAC’s 2024 legislative priorities. Senate Bill 1403 is the result of a collaborative effort among cities, counties, realtors, and homebuilders to update Idaho’s area of…

IAC still has priorities pending in the legislature. We need significant engagement from our members to get these bills over the finish line. Essential, Sustainable EMS System Senate Bill 1416, which would help create a more sustainable EMS system, passed the Senate last week on a 26-9 vote. We expected the bill to be routed to the House Health and Welfare Committee; however, it has been routed to the House State Affairs Committee. For the bill to secure a hearing in…

While many things are beginning to wind down in the legislature, this week is an important week for IAC. We hope to see positive movement on two of the Idaho Association of Counties’ (IAC) legislative priorities, Area of Impact and EMS Sustainability.  The Area of Impact legislation (Senate Bill 1403) will likely be heard in the House Local Government Committee this week– hopefully earlier in the week, than later. We encourage our members to reach out to the House Local Government…

By BLM Press The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing a draft plan to strengthen greater sage-grouse conservation and management on public lands, informed by the best-available science and input from local, state, federal, and Tribal partners. The draft plan is built on decades of partnership, research, and on-the-ground knowledge and experience in maintaining, protecting and restoring healthy sagebrush habitats. Greater sage-grouse rely on sagebrush lands for all aspects of their life cycle to meet seasonal needs for food, cover…

House Ways & Means Committee Introduces New Assessment Burden of Proof Legislation On Friday, March 15th, the House Ways & Means Committee introduced House Bill 717. House Bill 717 is a mashup of House Bill 701 and House Bill 625. House Bill 701 is sponsored by Representative Ned Burns and seeks to codify a uniform process for the proration of property taxes on new homestead exemptions. House Bill 701 cleared the House Revenue & Taxation Committee but has subsequently stalled out…

IAC’s 2024 Directory of Idaho County Elected Officials is now available! Published annually, this directory is a valuable resource for those looking to reach Idaho’s nearly 400 county elected officials, hundreds of county staff, and members of affiliate organizations. The directory provides the contact information and office locations for all 396 county officials. Additionally, the directory includes Idaho’s federal and state officials, IAC’s Board of Directors, and affiliate association presidents. The directory also includes IAC’s committees and their members, IAC staff,…

House Introduces Legislation to Tax Rate Regulated Utilities Based on Kilowatt Hours Sold The House Revenue and Taxation Committee introduced legislation last week to exempt the real and personal property of rate regulated electric utility companies from taxation. In lieu of paying property taxes, the three electric companies (Avista, Idaho Power, and Rocky Mountain Power) would pay a kilowatt hour tax based on the number of kilowatt hours sold to Idaho customers. The proposal, introduced as House Bill 702, proposes the…

By Cody Allred, Idaho Commerce  The Idaho Broadband Advisory Board (IBAB) and the Idaho Office of Broadband are now accepting grant applications for the Idaho Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Regional Coordination and Planning Grant. The Board approved $500,000 for broadband planning funds to be used to establish a Broadband Action Team and additional support. Grant funds are available to bring affordable and reliable internet to Idaho communities. Eligible applicants include local governments, tribal governments and state agencies. The maximum…

This morning, the House Revenue and Taxation Committee heard House Bill 625, which would shift the burden of proof from the property owner to the county assessor during Board of Equalizations (BOE) assessment hearings. Hollie Ann Strang (Gem County Assessor), Brian Stender (Canyon County Assessor), Josh Dison (Elmore County Assessor), and Justin Baldwin (Gooding County Assessor) braved the snowy roads to attend the committee and testified in opposition to House Bill 625. The group of assessors asserted a variety of reasons…

Through seven weeks, the Legislature is on pace to eclipse the number of bills introduced in a single session since 2019. As of February 23rd, 717 pieces of legislation have been drafted, with 430 bills and 33 resolutions or memorials introduced. After seven weeks in 2023, 570 pieces of legislation had been drafted, with 338 bills and 14 resolutions or memorials introduced. You can find additional information in the Legislature’s weekly Progress Report. As we head into March, the pace of…

Yesterday, on a 10-6 vote, the House Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send House Bill 517 to the floor with a “do pass” recommendation. While the bill is meant to address the free exercise of religion and freedom of speech, constitutionally protected rights that IAC members cherish, there are problems with the mechanics of the bill. We encourage our members to contact your state representatives to express concerns regarding House Bill 517. One of the arguments the bill sponsors make…

House Bill 521 was sent to the floor this morning with a “do pass” recommendation. It will likely be voted on by the full House of Representatives later this week. It is an important bill for counties. While the bill itself is a tax relief bill that provides new and increased state funding for school facilities, the bill also includes sections that will benefit counties. Among the benefits to counties are: – House Bill 521 provides an additional $3 million in…

By Kathy Ackerman, Idaho County Clerk and NACo Board Member Idaho was well represented at the 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference held in Washington, D.C., February 10-13. The conference was attended by Kathy Ackerman (Idaho County), Skip Brandt (Idaho County), Denis Duman (Idaho County), Vic Pearson (Franklin County), Jeff Hough (Bannock County), Sherry Maupin (Valley County), Rod Beck (Ada County), Cindy Riegel (Teton County), Tom Lamar (Latah County), Carol Moehrle (Nez Perce County), and Sara Westbrook and Seth…

The IAC Legislative Committee met on February 14th in downtown Boise. Those who could not attend in person joined virtually.  The meeting started off by approving February 7th minutes and was followed by an overview of IAC Priorities including: IGA-05 Hospital Property Tax Exemption, IGA-07 Area of Impact Agreements, JPS-02 Essential Emergency Medical Services, and H0530 Emergency Communications Fee. There was also a focus on IAC Policies which touched on H0406 Fentanyl Mandatory Minimums and County Travel & Convention Tax. The…

New bill introductions were flying fast and furious this past week. Included in the flurry was an IAC priority, House Bill 530, which, if passed, would allow the Board of County Commissioners to increase the e911 fee up to $3.00. Representative Dustin Manwaring is the sponsor of this bill. Our goal is to get a full hearing for the bill by next week. Please reach out to the House Local Government Committee to express your support for House Bill 530. Another…