County Commissioners 3.17.23

Friday’s county commissioner meeting saw all but Commissioner Corbus in attendance. County Assessor Josh Dison was the first to approach the commissioners, discussing a casualty loss tax exemption for a county resident who had recently lost their home in a fire. The commissioners present unanimously approved the exemption.

Next, the commissioners were faced with a request to formally declare an emergency following devastating avalanches and slide-offs taking place in northern portions of Elmore County including Atlanta. The avalanches caused roads, such as Middle Fork Road in Atlanta,to be closed. In one extreme case, Rocky Bar Road, which is closed during winter, left in disrepair, with county officials going so far as to say that the road is, “Just gone”.

Following this, Steve VanNorman discussed the potential of using fiber connections between the courthouse and the sheriff’s office following recent communication issues between the two buildings following a slew of windstorms.

Commissioner Hofer next addressed the department heads present. He explained that following the identification of an individual, who previously worked for (but no longer works for) the county, accessing the courthouse via a key card he has tasked Trevor Powell with cracking down on and updating the list of individuals who have access to key cards to the courthouse. Powell, who is in charge of courthouse security, is working with a list that is many years old and, subsequently, severely outdated. Commissioner Hofer and Mr. Powell asked that the department heads conduct a thorough evaluation of who has, and who needs, access to the courthouse.

Following a brief recess followed by an executive session, the commissioners were provided with an update from representatives of the Western Elmore County Recreation District. Betty Ashcraft and Lee Pierce approached the commissioners to advise them of the recently erected steel structures that can now be seen over the district’s future indoor pool project. This is the first instance of vertical progress the future facility has seen thus far. The two representatives explained that construction is expected to actively continue through the end of June and possibly into the beginning of July. Mr. Pierce explained that currently the district has the funds to complete one of the pools and open half of the facility to the public in roughly 2.5 years. The group is currently looking for funding sources for the additional portions of the facility.

Following this presentation, the commissioners broke for lunch before reconvening for a jail inspection in the afternoon, and ultimately adjourning.