Hi Emma,,

I'm clinging to the last few weeks of summer for dear life. If I pretend it's still June, will that stop the winter from returning? No? ☹️

Even as the summer winds down, things are just getting started at the Bannock County Courthouse. Below, I'll let you know about a big project that started this week that will affect your next visit to the courthouse.

Before we get into that, I want to highlight a new program at Bannock County Juvenile Justice that just celebrated its first anniversary.

The Village, one year later

One year ago, Bannock County took a huge step to improve the access to support systems for youth and families in the area. Today, hundreds of families have been connected to the support they need through the help of The Village.

What is it?

The Village: A Place for Youth and Families serves children of all ages in the 6th Judicial District, including Bannock, Bear Lake, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida, and Power Counties, as well as the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes.

The Village prevents children from entering the juvenile justice and child welfare systems by providing early intervention services and support for families.

Teachers, parents, counselors, aunts or uncles, and law enforcement can refer a struggling child to The Village for an "assessment." The Village staff will screen the child to find out what underlying issues are contributing to the concerning behavior. Then, the staff connects the child and their family to the appropriate resources to address those issues.

They also offer other services, like tobacco prevention education, counseling services, and the River Buddies program, where teens in foster care go on a guided fishing trip to Island Park.

Previously, children had to be cited by law enforcement or the school district in order to access the services that could help them get back on track.

But now, kids don't have to be funneled into juvenile detention or probation for problems that can be solved at home with a bit of help from community resources.

Pictured is The Village's one-year anniversary party on Aug. 8, 2024.

How are things going?

It's been a busy year at The Village. Here is a glimpse at the successes of The Village's first year of operation.

655 - The number of referrals for service The Village received in the first year of operation. Of those referrals, 83% came from law enforcement, 12% were self-referrals, 4% came from schools, and 1% were child protection referrals.

408 - The number of kids and families The Village provided services and case management for.

190 - The number of families who obtained clinical assessments and follow-up services from The Village.

5,000 - The number of hours of support that AmeriCorps members and interns provided The Village.

41 - The number of families that received counseling services from January 2024 to June 2024.

37 - The number of youth who participated in the Idaho Public Health's tobacco education class hosted by The Village.

27 - The number of youth who participated in the Bannock Youth Foundation's "Making Sense of Your Worth" program at The Village.

32 - The number of parents who participated in the Idaho Office of Drug Policy's "Families in Action" education program at The Village. The class helps parents and adolescents work together to set healthy boundaries and build trust between one another.

Here's to another year of helping children and their families! Congratulations to The Village team.

thevillageidaho.org

A Minute with your Elected Official

Coroner Torey Danner

This month, Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner updates us on what he's been working on to improve coroner services statewide.

Plus, he shares how his next goal will help the Bannock County Coroner's Office become more self-sustaining.

🚧 Construction Ahead 🚧

Our courthouse campus will be under construction this fall, impacting our entrances and parking.

Construction will begin Wednesday, Aug. 14th, and continue through the rest of 2024.

The upgrades include:

extending the ADA entrance to the courthouse on North 6th Avenue
adding an ADA ramp to the front of the Elections building on North 6th Avenue
adding a covered gazebo by the courthouse on North 6th Avenue
updating the courthouse annex facade
transitioning the block of North 6th Avenue between East Clark and Center Streets to a one-way street with diagonal parking

Here's what to expect if you visit the courthouse:

Sidewalks on North 6th Avenue will be closed; please use caution. The ADA entrance will be closed until completion, and patrons needing ADA access are asked to use the elevator entrance in the northwest parking lot of the courthouse. For assistance, patrons are asked to call 208-236-7499.

Vin inspections at the Bannock County DMV will temporarily move during construction. Passenger vehicles will be routed to the parking lot by East Clark Street. Larger vehicles, such as semis and trailers, will be routed to the shoulder of East Clark Street for vin inspections.

The North 6th Avenue entrance to the Elections Office is anticipated to be under construction during the upcoming election. Voters are asked to follow directional signage and enter through the west entrance of the parking lot.

I will provide updates about the progress of construction and any additional closures on the Bannock County Facebook page (and in this newsletter).

We really appreciate your patience through the construction period. These changes are needed and will be good in the long run. Check out the changes below or see more here.

Budget Process Update

The marathon to complete next year's budget is close to the finish line (pardon the Olympics metaphor).

The County Clerk and Board of Commissioners agreed on a proposed budget, which will be posted for a public hearing before it can be adopted. At this hearing, the Board may vote to officially approve the budget or delay it until no later than the first Tuesday following the first Monday of September.

FY25 Budget Public Hearing

August 27, 11 a.m., Room 212 of the Bannock County Courthouse

624 E Center St., Pocatello

We invite you to review the proposed budget and share your thoughts at the public hearing. If you can't attend the hearing, you can send written comments to the Board of Commissioners to be read into the record. Send them to commission@bannockcounty.gov.

The overall budget (including the Road & Bridge, Ambulance, and Abatement districts) increased by $233,804. This budget is asking for an increase in property taxes of $830,197, which we estimate will translate on tax bills to an increase of $4.89 per $100,000 of taxable property value. This tax estimate does not include any changes from other taxing districts (cities, school districts, fire, etc.) you live within.

Some highlights of the proposed FY25 Budget include:

Stays within the 3% increase legally allowed by Idaho Code

Provides a 3% cost-of-living increase in salary for all employees and adjusted certain department salaries to improve recruitment and retention

Continues to expend ARPA funds in accordance with federal guidelines

You can revisit the June newsletter to learn more about the budget process.

See the FY25 Proposed Budget

Board of Equalization

In June, property owners in Bannock County received their assessment notices, informing them of their property's current value for tax purposes. If they disagreed with their assessed value, they had the opportunity to speak with the Assessor's Office or appeal to the Board of Equalization (BOE).

As promised, here is an update about how this year's BOE hearings went.

This year, 93% of the appealed values were upheld, meaning the Board agreed with the Assessor's Office assessed value, and the appeal was essentially denied. This is a stark contrast to 2021, when only 19% of the values were upheld. And since 2021, the Board has upheld an increasingly larger percentage of values.

I spoke with Assessor Anita Hymas about why the Board would have such a drastic swing from four years ago. She credits the new software program (Proval, a "Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal" system) used by appraisers as helping find more accurate values. With more accurate assessed values, more properties are in compliance with the State requirement of assessed values being within 90% to 110% of actual market value. If a property's assessed value is in compliance and reflects market value, the Board must uphold the Assessor's value.

Below, you can compare the statistics for the previous five years.

Year	Hearings Held	Parcels in Hearing	% Value Upheld
2020	375	587	21%
2021	95	124	19%
2022	370	542	56%
2023	112	264	80%
2024	71	123	93%

ICYMI

This year's Independence Day Celebration was stellar!

Beyond an incredible fireworks show, this year's event included a petting zoo, a car show, musical acts, and a pie-eating contest.

See the full gallery of pictures here.

Another great year at the Bannock County Fair! Big shout out to the Fair Board for all their hard work to make this year a success. I hope you made it down to Downey last week to see the best little fair in Idaho.

Check out the photos of the fair here.

Public Hearings

Welcome to the newest addition to the Access Bannock County newsletter. I will include upcoming public hearings here so you can be "in the know" if you want to share your opinion.

I also encourage you to sign up for our public hearing e-notices, which we've just started to provide. This way, you can be notified right away when a public hearing is scheduled.