Intro to Cities and Municipal

Governance in Idaho

Seth GriggExecutive Director

Association of Idaho Cities

Association of Idaho Cities (AIC)• Founded in 1947 with Idaho’s cities as members

• Governed by Board of Directors made up of mayors and councilors

• Member services:

• Legislative advocacy

• Intergovernmental relations

• Education (annual conference, regional district workshops, and webinars)

• Technical assistance (on demand, training videos, publications)

• Policy resource for member cities, legislators, state agencies, and other intergovernmental stakeholders

Association of Idaho Cities StaffSeth Grigg, Executive Director –

sgrigg@idahocities.org

Leon Duce, Deputy Director – lduce@idahocities.org

Justin Ruen, Senior Policy Analyst – jruen@idahocities.org

Sheila Christensen, Events Coordinator – schristensen@idahocities.org

GayDawn Oyler, Administrative Assistant – goyler@idahocities.org

Jerry Mason & Nancy Stricklin, Legal Counsel

AIC Board of DirectorsExecutive Committee

Pres. Tammy de Weerd – Mayor, Meridian

1st VP Greg Lanting – Council, Twin Falls

2nd VP Brian Blad – Mayor, Pocatello

3rd VP Jeri DeLange – Council, Hayden

Imm. Past Pres. John Evans – Mayor, Garden City

Past Pres. (2008-09) Mac Pooler – Mayor, Kellogg

Past Pres. (2005-06) Mitch Hart – Council, Soda Springs

Past Pres. (2003-04) Garret Nancolas – Mayor, Caldwell

•

AIC Board of DirectorsDistrict Directors

District 1: Vic Holmes – Mayor, Rathdrum Steve Widmyer -- Mayor, Coeur d'Alene

District 2: Mike Peterson – Council, GrangevilleBill Lambert -- Mayor, Moscow

District 3: John Bechtel – Mayor, Wilder Diana Thomas -- Mayor, Weiser

District 3A: Elaine Clegg – Council, Boise David Zaremba -- Council, Meridian

District 4: Robert Dempsay – Council, Paul Suzanne Hawkins --- Council, Twin Falls

District 5: Tom Jenkins -- Council, Malad Kevin England -- Mayor, Chubbuck

District 6: Tom Jewell – Mayor, Island Park

Rebecca Casper -- Mayor, Idaho Falls

About Cities• Cities Formed by Inhabitants to

Provide Urban Services

• Mayor-Council vs Council-Manager

• Executive Functions (Mayor or City Manager)

• Legislative Functions (4 or 6 Member Council)

• Quasi-Judicial Functions (Planning & Zoning, Licensing, Etc.)

Primary Revenue Sources

• Property tax revenues

• State shared revenues: sales tax, highway

distribution account, liquor funds

• Own source revenue: fees for service,

license fees, utility fees, franchise

agreements, etc.

• Grants

Cornerstones to Building Local Economies

•Public Safety

•Public Infrastructure

•Community Identity

Protecting Our Communities

• Law Enforcement

• Fire Protection

•Code Enforcement

•Animal Control

Developing Critical Public Infrastructure

• Clean Domestic Drinking Water

• Wastewater Treatment (Sewer Systems)

• Stormwater Management

• Power Generation and Distribution

• City Streets and Bridges

• Irrigation Water

Infrastructure Statistics

• Over 140,000 clean drinking water connections

• Over 200,000 wastewater connections

• Over 200,000 solid waste collection customers

Developing Communities

• Planning and Zoning

• Building Code Permitting

• Parks and Recreation

• Public Libraries

• Public Cemeteries

• Public Transportation

Challenges

• Environmental regulations (Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, etc.)

• Securing municipal water rights for future growth

• Replacement costs for aging infrastructure (streets, bridges, water lines, wastewater lines, wastewater treatment facilities, etc.)

• Lack of local economic development tools

• Unfunded mandates (or local control without the resources)

• Significant change has occurred over the more than 30 years that budget and levy limitations have been in place

2015 Legislative Priorities

• Advocate for transportation revenue enhancements.

• Advocate for local option sales tax authority.

• Protect land use planning authority and local design review standards.

• Preserve urban renewal as an economic development tool.

• Preserve state revenue sharing.

• Preserve local revenue sources.

• Promote misdemeanor reclassification to reduce public defender costs.

• Protect and enhance municipal water rights.

Contact Info:

Seth GriggExecutive Director

Association of Idaho CitiesEmail: sgrigg@idahocities.org

Cell: (208) 695-7312