07/18/2026
Commissioners Meeting July 13th, 2026
We had our monthly meeting with Supervisors and Elected Officials. This is a great opportunity to share information and concerns across departments as well as mutual support. Starting off was Patti Nitz with Planning and Zoning, reporting on the recent P&Z Commission meeting which had an open public comment time. She said it was a very good meeting with great discussions They are also working on reviewing the County’s codes in general, updating the Zoning GIS map, and webpage.
Assessor Sandy Clason reported on completing the Assessment review period and having received over 100 phone calls. The majority of the calls just needed some additional information, or straight forward correction of the details that a particular property’s assessment was based on. Several did have to come to the Board of Equalization which is a function of the County Commissioners. We hold a public hearing on each property for which the assessment is contested, review the properties owner’s information and presentation, and the Assessor’s basis for that assessment and decide if an adjustment is warranted.
The UofI Extension agent, Rikki Ruiz reported on the preparations for this year’s County Fair. She has been working with kids who will be entering animals in the Fair on showmanship and other skills. She has also applied for a grant to explore Farm flower production in our area.
Road & Bridge supervisor Jim Ashley reported on continued progress on a number of projects from 7th Ave N. in Payette, to Beverly Rd in the south county, to Big Willow in the northeast county. R&B continues to support the site work for the new Ambulance District building as well as possibly helping the Payette County Rec District with a paving project at Mesa park in Fruitland.
Landfill supervisor Gary Kelley reported on maintenance needs for equipment. Everything about running a landfill seems to be incredibly expensive. A quote for two new front tires for the earth scraper was over $24,000. We also approve the purchase of a large (12,000 gallon) diesel fuel tank which will allow larger wholesale purchases of fuel. The estimated saving is at least $0.20/gallon and will pay for the tank cost in 3 to 5 years and will also provide more operational flexibility saving labor costs as well. The semiannual Tier 1 report to Idaho DEQ was review and showed no operational deficiencies.
The last item I want to report on here was the opportunity I personally had to learn about the process of drilling for natural gas in our county. I was able to take a look at not only the newly finished well just north of the Payette River next to Hwy 95 but also the well that is currently being drilled in Fruitland behind Dickenson Frozen Foods. Last year the Commissioners updated the ordinance regarding the placement of wells in proximity to houses and other occupied properties and included requirements for noise, light, and the flaring process to be mitigated and from what I observed first hand it seems to be working. I was able to see how the aquifer levels are being protected with layers of pipe as the drilling proceeds thru those layers to go to the deeper layers that contain the gas and oil. It was very informative and I feel I learned quite a bit.
That’s all for now, take care and stay cool our there.
Ken
