Jefferson County commissioners approve ballots, waive fire‑district permit fee and advance courthouse sidewalk project

Jefferson County — On Sept. 16, 2024, the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners approved a suite of administrative and procurement items in a meeting that also spent substantial time on a separate, extended workshop about proposed land‑use code updates.

The board accepted the county's polling location designations for the upcoming general election and authorized the purchase of ballots as proposed by elections staff. Staff described the county method as ordering 80% of each precinct's expected ballots plus 25 extra; the clerk reported a figure of $13,009.25 as a balance on the worksheet and a motion to purchase ballots was recorded referencing $13,925 (the record contains both figures). The motion to proceed was moved and seconded and carried on roll call.

Why it matters: Ordering ballots and confirming polling locations sets the operational baseline for the county's upcoming election and locks in procurement and budgets.

The board also approved a request to waive permit fees for the West Jefferson Fire Control District for permit number 24‑0450. "I'll make a motion to waive the fees for the West Jefferson Fire Control District for permit number 24‑0450 for the amount of $6,695.61," said S2; another commissioner seconded the motion and the board approved it by roll call.

On capital projects, commissioners reviewed competitive sidewalk replacement bids for courthouse sidewalks. One firm (printed in the packet as G&L / TL) submitted an estimate of about $75,944; commissioners discussed having county road and bridge perform tear‑out work to reduce the contractor's concrete cost to roughly $50,000. S5 moved to accept the contractor estimate with the county performing tear‑out where feasible; the motion was seconded and approved by roll call.

Other routine business approved by the board included: - Levy and budget worksheet calculations the board agreed to proceed with (the packet lists a figure of $8,735,547 as read during the motion). - Payment of claims for 09/07/2024–09/13/2024 totaling $241,733.97, approved by motion and roll call. - Approval of multiple retail alcoholic‑beverage licenses (Sand Ranch in Ryrie; L & Dante and Roberts; Mud Lake Oil and Terrace, among others), each adopted by motion and roll call. - Personnel action forms and certificates of residency for several students going to the College of Eastern Idaho and College of Southern Idaho; commissioners approved the batch of personal action forms and instructed staff to sign them.

Quotes: S2 opened the ballot discussion noting the county's approach to ordering ballots, and later moved the fee waiver: "I'll make a motion to waive the fees for the West Jefferson Fire Control District for permit number 24‑0450 for the amount of $6,695.61." Chair S1 ran several roll calls and closed the meeting with a motion to recess and later to adjourn.

Next steps: The administrative approvals secure the county's election preparations and allow the sidewalk procurement to advance to contractor scheduling and coordination with road and bridge. The board set land‑use items for further review and public hearing. The meeting adjourned after routine closing items.

Ending: The board adjourned following the final motions and scheduled follow‑up work on zoning code revisions and project timelines.