Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region.
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GRANGEVILLE — County election offices across the state recently completed a biennial review and maintenance of the voter registration system. According to the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, a total of 74,332 voters statewide were removed from the system because of inactivity, change of address, or who were otherwise determined to be ineligible to vote.
Of that number, a total 311 were purged from the rolls in Idaho County.
“We purge after the general election in every even year,” said Bette Polack, Idaho County Election Director. “The main reason is usually that the voter has not voted in four years. Also, sometimes people move, and if they don’t either notify us or register to vote in their new state and that state notifies us, they are purged after those four years.”
According to the secretary of state’s office, the biennial list maintenance process, which is required by state law (Idaho Code 34-435), serves as a final clean-up measure to ensure that voters who have moved, who haven’t voted in the last four years or who have become ineligible to vote are removed from the voter rolls. Regular list maintenance occurs throughout the year, a process that includes comparing information with the Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Department of Corrections, and other government databases to keep records current.
“The process is relatively simple for the actual purge, just a push of some buttons. But after we get the list of voters, we then send a letter out to the purged voter stating that they have been removed from the voting system and why,” Polack said. “We also inform them that if this is in error to please notify our office. This is done in the form of a post card and we generally get about 75% of them back undeliverable. If a voter does call to inform us that he still lives here and wishes to be registered, then we mail him a registration card so we can update all their information.”
— David Rauzi, Editor, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
Seats contested, levies set for May 16
Holding levy decisions in the upcoming May 16 Idaho County elections will be three school districts, one hospital, one fire, and two highway districts.
Filings for races closed on March 17.
For the Syringa Hospital District, three positions are open, all of which are six-year terms, sought by for people: Joel Cleary, Shireen Hale, Leta Strauss and Jerry Zumalt, all of Grangeville. Of the four, all but Cleary are incumbents.
For the Cottonwood Highway District, one position is open, a four-year term, sought by incumbent Douglas T. Johnson, of Cottonwood, and Joel Wasem, of Grangeville.
For the Fenn Highway District, one position is open, a four-year term, sought by Chris Brannon, of Cottonwood, and incumbent Pat Meyer, of Grangeville.
Three school levies will be on the ballot:
Cottonwood School District 242: $200,000
Salmon River School District 243: $495,000
Nezperce School District 302: $445,000
These will be voted on by patrons residing within their respective districts.
The Grangeville Rural Fire District will be asking its patrons to authorize a $49,334 permanent override tax levy.
— Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
Smith votes to extend CVHS, GHS principal contracts
KOOSKIA — Following a discussion on approving principal contracts at the Mountain View School District 244 board meeting on March 27, trustee Casey Smith, of Clearwater, gave his reasoning for extending contracts for two area principals.
Smith moved to extend contracts for both Clearwater Valley High School Principal Heather Becker and Grangeville High School Principal Randall Miskin through the 2024-25 school year. This was seconded by vice-chair Larry Dunn, White Bird. Their current salaries through their 2023-24 contracts are at $91,352; Smith said the 2024-25 salary would be negotiated.
“I would like to point out, superintendents always have something they like to say. Steve’s (Higgins) is ‘What do you want your schools to look like?’ Well, our school’s not looking good,” Smith said during the discussion prior to voting. “I’ve been on the board seven years, and this next will be the sixth superintendent I’ve been through. ISBA (Idaho School Boards Association) told us Grangeville is toxic and no one wants to come here. These people (principals) moved here from out of the area. They came with the understanding they would have two-year contracts at a time. I find it very unethical, very dishonest not to honor this.”
Smith said most of the problems were due to “sour apples, some disgruntled former employee who is poisoning people’s minds on these two (principals) on social media.”
“Well, we don’t offer our teachers two-year contracts, so principals probably shouldn’t have that, either,” trustee Laci Myers said.
“Teachers do have a guarantee. They have tenure. I know because we tried to get rid of a teacher after one year and we were told no, we really couldn’t,” Smith added. “We’ve seen teachers here fired, then we had to hire them back because the union went to bat for them. They didn’t care what the quality of teachers was, but just if they were a union person and paid their dues.”
The separate motions both failed as Smith and Dunn voted yes on the contract extension while chairperson Melisa Kaschmitter, B Edwards and Myers voted no.
Superintendent Steve Higgins recommended approving a one-year, 180-day contract for Melanie Martinez as principal for Clearwater Valley Elementary and Elk City schools for $88,000. This was approved unanimously by the board. In addition, Higgins recommended approving a one-year, 180-day contract to Jessica Robinson for Grangeville Elementary Middle School for $90,000. This was also approved unanimously by the board.
— Lorie Palmer, The Clearwater Progress (Kamiah), Thursday
Power lines could be a snag for McCall-Donnelly School District housing
MCCALL — Power lines along Mission Street could hang up a project to build employee housing for the McCall-Donnelly School District, the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission was told Tuesday.
The P&Z tentatively approved the school district’s plans to build housing for up to 35 employees on a parcel at the corner on Stibnite Street across from McCall-Donnelly High School.
However, the approval is contingent on the district and city officials resolving a disagreement over whether the project requires the district to bury existing power lines along Mission Street.
“Everything else looks good if we can figure out an agreement on the power,” P&Z Chairman Robert Lyons said.
Tuesday’s public hearing was continued to the P&Z’s May 2 meeting so commissioners can confirm the approval with more clarity on the power line work.
“I think there are some opportunities for us to work with the school district to sort this out before the next meeting,” McCall Community and Economic Development Director Michelle Groenevelt said.
Kerstin Dettrich, a consultant who represented M-D during Tuesday’s hearing, warned that the cost of burying a 473-foot stretch of power lines along the property’s Mission Street frontage could sink the project.
“That’s a huge problem for this project,” Dettrich said. “I’m hearing that we’re going to put the priority of undergrounding power … over the priority of educating our children.”
City Planner Brian Parker said the work is required by city code, but Dettrich argued that the code only requires new power lines built with the project to be installed underground.
Commissioner Liz Rock agreed Dettrich’s interpretation of the code, while Lyons said it “would not be reasonable” to require existing power lines to be buried as part of the project.
The cost of the power line work is currently unknown and would need to be determined by Idaho Power.
Dettrich noted that no other power lines along Mission Street from West Lake Street to Heinrich Lane have been buried and labeled the requirement an “inappropriate ask” by the city.
Plans for the 4.5-acre site across Stibnite Street from the high school campus call for four multi-family apartment buildings and three single family homes that could house up to 35 M-D employees.
— Drew Dodson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday
