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Residents urge Teton County to oppose Idaho Department of Lands sale of ‘Driggs 160’; commissioners set special meeting
Summary
Dozens of residents pressed Teton County commissioners to oppose the Idaho Department of Lands’ plan to sell a 160‑acre endowment parcel near Driggs, citing multigenerational ranching ties and alleged procedural problems; commissioners agreed to draft a joint letter and hold a special meeting next week to finalize it.
Dozens of Teton Valley residents urged the Teton County Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday to oppose a proposed sale by the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) of the Driggs 160 endowment parcel.
Nick Beard, who identified himself as the current leaseholder, told the board he learned of the proposed disposal from social media and said local stakeholders had not received direct written notice. “Please, look out for the constituents of this county and oppose the sale of this land,” he said.
Speakers backed that concern with legal and historical arguments. Scott Jacobson, a landowner and attorney, said the parcel is part of a mixed endowment, not a public‑school endowment, and therefore IDL must apply a broader “best interest of the state” standard rather than a narrow, short‑term value‑maximization test. “The state has to maximize value,” Jacobson said, “but … the second mandate is the state needs to be serving the best interests of the constituents of the state.” Several speakers described a petition of roughly 1,400 signatures and called for the county to submit formal objections to IDL ahead of the board’s next meeting.
Commissioners discussed how to respond and whether they could agree on unified language. Commissioner Powers and others noted legal ambiguity and the practical limits of county authority over state endowment land, but emphasized their duty to represent local concerns. The board agreed to hold a short special meeting to craft a joint letter for IDL: commissioners scheduled a working meeting for the morning of Sept. 12 to exchange draft language and aim to submit a single county response before IDL’s next decision date.
The public commenters raised additional concerns: several asked the county to press IDL for data on how revenues from land sales are allocated across the state, and counsel for leaseholders said they would pursue legal remedies if IDL violated lease‑notice provisions. County staff told the board they would circulate the commissioners’ draft letters and coordinate timing so the board could present a single, consolidated county comment to IDL.
Next steps: commissioners will meet in a special session to draft a county letter to the Idaho Department of Lands and said they would provide instructions to staff to finalize and file the county’s formal input ahead of IDL’s upcoming meeting.
