Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Information Technology Gis topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
GIS manager seeks travel for leadership training, potential plotter replacement and a custom-map fee
Summary
Bannock County GIS manager requested funds for staff training including a one-time GIS Leadership Academy, attendance for a biennial conference hosted in Pocatello in 2026, $16,000 for a new plotter (if approved), and asked commissioners to consider an hourly or minimum fee for custom map production for outside customers.
Heather Studley, manager of Bannock County GIS, presented a mostly flat budget with several specific requests to commissioners: one-time training for herself at a GIS Leadership Academy, funds to send the team to a local biennial GIS conference (to be hosted in Pocatello in 2026), a capital request to replace an aging plotter (roughly estimated at $16,000), and consideration of a fee structure for custom maps provided to entities outside the county.
Studley said travel and education costs have risen and that her goal is to send each team member to at least one conference per year. She described the GIS Leadership Academy as a weeklong cohort focused on team and project management and requested this as a onetime expense for the upcoming fiscal year.
On equipment, Studley said the department’s large plotter (purchased around 2019) is experiencing recurring software and boot failures requiring two or three hard resets weekly. She said print quality has not yet degraded but replacement may be needed soon; she estimated the plotter replacement cost around $16,000 and described it as non-mission-critical if the commissioners choose to delay.
Studley also proposed adding a fee category for “custom maps” for out-of-county requests that would capture staff time; she suggested a minimum hourly charge (for example, a one-hour minimum) because even small custom jobs typically take at least 45 minutes of staff time. County staff said attorney review may be needed to confirm statutory authority for new fees. She noted Esri software licensing and training is covered under a separate line item allocated to another staff member (Adam).
Commissioners and GIS staff discussed keeping fees simple and possibly creating a lump-rate for custom maps with an add-on for additional hours. Staff suggested the majority of plotting work is for internal county departments and that cost recovery from external customers would be limited.
No formal action was taken; GIS staff will continue to refine cost estimates and work with legal on potential fee language if the commissioners want to pursue a custom-map fee.
