Bannock County to convene cities for renegotiation of areas of city impact under new state law

Tristan Borkwin, assistant planning director for Bannock County, asked the Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 25 to start meetings with cities to renegotiate areas of city impact required by new state legislation that took effect July 1, 2024.

Borkwin told commissioners, “we're just here in front of you to start conversations about the area of impact and negotiations for all of the cities in the county,” and said the statute requires modifications by Dec. 31 of this year. He recommended a kickoff meeting with all cities and follow-up, individual sessions to develop defensible five‑year service plans.

The planning staff said the county must lead the initial work but that the statute requires cities to pay for certified‑mail notice to affected residents when a new area of city impact is created. Borkwin said this expense could affect small cities’ decisions about the geographic size of proposed areas.

Commissioners supported a county‑led kickoff meeting. One commissioner said, “I would propose we put together a meeting between the commissioners and all of the city that we can get there to get it started,” and asked planning to schedule it with county staff. Staff will prepare an explanation of the statute, sample timelines and a request that each city submit a defensible position on where it expects to be within five years.

Planning director Hal Jensen and Borkwin said staff would also research examples from other counties and suggested holding the initial all‑cities meeting and then narrower follow‑ups for cities that need more detailed negotiations. The county and cities will ultimately create revised area of city impact maps and follow the public‑hearing process required by the statute.

No formal vote was recorded; commissioners directed staff to initiate invitations, schedule the kickoff meeting and return with a proposed meeting plan and timetable.