[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6685719,"mediaKeyId","2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6","parentId",2154702,"title","City staff summarizes early 2025 Idaho bills affecting cities; council watchers urged","audioSeconds",1253,"startMs",6729000,"endMs",7982000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6&start=6729&end=7982","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6/thumbnail_6729000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6685719/Idaho-Falls/Bonneville-County/Idaho/City-staff-summarizes-early-2025-Idaho-bills-affecting-cities-council-watchers-urged","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6685719-e70d0a9da1102374a0bdd5cf10d8cde2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437079&Signature=J5hOFd0xubhlQAYw2GqbNDKT31~wMFSElVTqXudFxWQKoqBiNx402W33uGZHIOwg3Dq3vAtOzVOxypUz-LIWEKs4XBpSD6XdkSEbecqoq3gtQ3ZFeMV5VLB8h3NhkFa8jB4HvYwdZisAu9GtprlMoxRPqtLgGVaSg6ar3ZzW~SJe8fu26wu8PyuFqjTRwhXCOLOJnqsGTCfoskjnfSmcs-TRgJerLmQiIrNfICpeDp4osDyy9jzq~09~vDpkmCa1kde-0KasDhZ~3jWunkzxWgbvUw-O3cAz043MvfW~5CicPMC6RWi7JWcGEgfW75FonOpP1-0jQOw2I6KNq-KczA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Idaho Falls City","date","2025-01-27T00:00:00Z","article","City staff provided the council an overview of early 2025 Idaho legislative proposals of interest to municipalities and described AIC (Association of Idaho Cities) positions under consideration.

Catherine (legislative briefing lead) told the council the state legislature opened and several bills with potential municipal impact are moving through committees. She summarized the items she and staff will continue to monitor and where the Association of Idaho Cities has taken or is considering positions.

Bills highlighted by staff

- House Bill 2 (ballot initiatives): Seeks to raise the statewide ballot-initiative approval threshold to 60 percent from a simple majority. AIC had not taken a position at the time of the briefing.
- House Bill 6 (attorney general powers): Expands the attorney general’s investigative and prosecutorial authority over elected county and city officials. City staff said AIC supports transparency and that local counsel (city attorney) did not express concern because the city follows open-meeting requirements.
- House Bill 7 (marijuana possession penalties): Would create a specific penalty tier for possession in smaller quantities (a $300 fine was discussed for specified amounts); staff noted that local law-enforcement partners described current enforcement challenges involving fentanyl, methamphetamine and other controlled substances; staff said the bill would become effective July 1, 2025 if passed.
- House Bill 11 (illegal entry/reentry): Creates state-level offenses related to unauthorized entry and provides civil indemnity for local officials; staff and public-safety listeners cautioned about trust issues if local officers were perceived as immigration enforcers and said this could affect reporting in immigrant communities.
- House Bill 17 (wildfire risk litigation/stabilization pool): Establishes a wildfire-risk stabilization pool funded by a mix of sources; staff said AIC provided passive support and certain utility and insurer interests are engaged.
- House Bill 18 (building-code/EV charger preemption): Would prohibit local governments from mandating EV chargers under the Idaho Building Code Act; Boise’s recent experience that prompted the bill was cited; AIC strongly opposed the preemption because it restricts local code authority.
- House Bill 32 (mask mandate preemption): Staff noted resurfacing of mask-preemption language; AIC strongly opposed preemption here.
- House Bill 33 (electronic public notice): Would permit cities to use electronic public noticing rather than a newspaper; staff said Idaho Falls currently spends about $30,000 annually on published notices in the Post Register and AIC supports allowing electronic noticing.
- House Bill 45 (flag displays): Seeks to limit the display of certain flags on publicly owned flagpoles and raised free-speech and forum questions; AIC was watching but not taking a formal position.

Staff cautions and next steps

Staff asked council members to be prepared for requests for positions from AIC and noted the city’s legislative contacts were watching key bills. Staff flagged potential public-safety and community-trust consequences if local law enforcement were directed into immigration-enforcement activities, and said the city would continue to coordinate with local police, the county and AIC on those items.

Council questions and staff answers

Councilors pressed for detail on Medicaid-expansion repeal proposals and the potential local impacts on hospitals, ambulance services and county indigent funds; staff said AIC had not yet adopted a position but noted the fiscal impacts could be substantial and that hospital and public-health stakeholders were watching closely.

What the city will do

City staff will monitor bills, coordinate with AIC and return with recommended positions when items require a city-level response.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Idaho Falls City - City Council Work Session - Jan 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff briefed the council on a set of early-2025 state bills with potential municipal impact, including proposed changes to ballot-initiative thresholds, attorney-general authority, marijuana penalties, immigration enforcement provisions, wildfire funding, EV-charger code preemption, and electronic public-notice rules.","taxTitle","Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho","taxId",4472,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6685728,"City staff recommends Workday for ERP replacement; seeks council authorization to proceed to statement of work",2574,971000,3545000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6&start=971&end=3545","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6/thumbnail_971000.jpg","/articles/6685728/Idaho-Falls/Bonneville-County/Idaho/City-staff-recommends-Workday-for-ERP-replacement-seeks-council-authorization-to-proceed-to-statement-of-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6685728-3f1782b03adf8ee99026d7454ffbdca7/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437079&Signature=aUy5zOr~8dQleqhCHPwjtioKQ3k7q0XxVV1Pn7vbIjI4ZB3SXCvHJq-q-kasVqkv9eWqZPJRvSLzn4Awv14DehW4qDaAxksM7iGiHC9tI6tp2rglrUpiqXyfJclt0NDeuN8o7Eru1HRyD6TB38adjqrhpbT0UDjvYMokvbrk9JXc9YKqm7Lpm1ghxCxp8Qnth3fxcOvtk82oKCtMoRq~06uZyipTKgCvu~S~Uuq2p0NuJIIQeywsCSC04~wG-hje966vqZ-XXSh8BCtI08z112Ls2Cp7k~J~5PByBXFQ9fXFO9q4hiuJyoz9ih9y-wlQIgEXCG2~opEbgUx1fkSGEA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff recommended Workday as the vendor to replace Idaho Falls’ aging enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and asked the council on Jan. 27 to authorize moving to a statement of work and contract negotiations.

City Treasurer Mark Hagedorn and staff presented the project and said the ERP replacement would consolidate separate financial, payroll and HR systems, reduce manual Excel-based processes, and provide a unified workflow platform. Hagedorn told the council: “We’ve been on this journey for some time” and described the Workday proposal as the core of that plan.

Why it matters

The city is using multiple legacy systems for finance, payroll, accounts payable/receivable, timekeeping and other business functions. Staff argued that a modern, integrated ERP would reduce transactional overhead, improve transparency, and free staff to focus on planning and service delivery.

What staff proposed

- Vendor selection: Staff recommended Workday for financial and HR modules and ScribePoint (referred to in the presentation as Sprite Point/Scribe Point) to handle work-order and asset management integration.
- Estimated cost: Staff presented an acquisition-plus-first-year maintenance estimate of roughly $3,500,000 for implementation over a 12–18 month schedule. Annual subscription/service costs were shown materially higher than current maintenance (current ~ $200,000; projected ongoing subscription approx. $500,000 per year), with a possible $150,000–$200,000 in annual savings if many existing licensed products are retired.
- Timeline: Staff described a statement-of-work phase to run through May, followed by implementation, training, testing and deployment; Workday’s typical goal was described as 12 months from program management to live with a reasonable upper limit of 18 months.
- Project organization and staffing: An executive (steering) committee chaired by the mayor’s chief of staff and including department directors will provide oversight. A core team (project manager, finance manager, CIO, business intelligence analysts and power users) will handle day-to-day tasks. Staff said they had hired five positions to support the project: two accountants, two business analysts and one administrative support position, and that backfill will allow senior staff to focus on implementation.
- Consulting and quality assurance: Staff recommended contracting Whitlock as an independent quality-assurance consultant in addition to the implementation partner (Workday’s implementer was shown as Strata/StrataPoint). Whitlock’s role would be to provide a neutral third-party review and help avoid issues seen in prior implementations.

Council questions and staff responses

Councilors raised implementation, resource-allocation and cost-allocation questions. Staff said cost was a factor during vendor evaluation and that Workday’s proposal fell near the middle of the 10 proposals received. Staff explained the project will be cloud-hosted (SaaS) and that APIs will allow integration with other systems; the customer information/utility billing system (CIS) will be a separate, later project (phase 2) with its own RFP. On staffing, staff said dedicated hires and backfill reduced the risk of critical employees having to perform regular duties while implementing the ERP.

Funding approach discussed

Staff proposed allocating costs between governmental and enterprise funds using a three-year average of total budgets to apportion the project cost; enterprise funds would pay their portion through fees while the government portion could be financed (an internal loan repaid over five years was suggested as an option) rather than funded entirely from current capital reserves.

Next steps discussed

Staff told the council they would present a vendor-approval request at the regular council meeting later in the week and begin a statement-of-work with Workday if the council approves the vendor selection. Whitlock’s QA contract would be brought as a separate item once the vendor selection is approved.

Direct quotes in the record

“We’ve been on this journey for some time,” said City Treasurer Mark Hagedorn when introducing the update. On the project’s purpose Hagedorn said the ERP effort is intended “to repair where the situation that we’re in” and to reduce inefficient manual processes.

Why some council members signaled support

Several council members said they supported careful, measured procurement and implementation, emphasizing that thorough scoping, a realistic Gantt chart and independent quality assurance are important to avoid the problems the city experienced in a prior implementation. Councilors asked staff for regular status updates and a project timeline after the statement of work is complete.

What the council will be asked to decide

Staff asked council to approve the selection of Workday and the implementation partners so staff can proceed to a statement of work and contract negotiations. Council members indicated a desire for continued oversight and for periodic progress reports during implementation.","City staff recommended Workday as the vendor to replace Idaho Falls’ enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and asked the council to authorize proceeding to a statement-of-work and contract negotiations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6685730,"Council approves six final plats and related development agreements",795,85000,880000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6&start=85&end=880","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6/thumbnail_85000.jpg","/articles/6685730/Idaho-Falls/Bonneville-County/Idaho/Council-approves-six-final-plats-and-related-development-agreements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6685730-766a133daccd1f1f23dc6c9e74566460/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437079&Signature=RrkXRt~vtnlsLLIj5LQqF1ZhUVi2Rg7UiiRP12LxBuLtgchYpXUT83l8iOH2bmO0ECDUHugtMQ4LA0wJ7XDFUQtYKb5BFc~wtK1kI1J082j-jaSISnmgXP8Xjhl9GHxdL8g~j2G8M0azntoODAPnXfSHuy7sBTYATmp59OWM1UmqgvNfSEtJ25bIlWBGOMVjrlxU6tEmeLlyHg8cJj3vrECfVR~7~8OEjygw6ob0S2SrA5Uidn75x-iwmv2dddhN2iRsktKw4Zg53mWqZ4TXEx16JArREEMbHFwbnTEwBsjZ0xdGIlJV96c1x~pImBnVzQm-uNDl-bqb6ef55OuOfQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Idaho Falls City Council approved six final plats, associated development agreements and required reason statements during a Jan. 27 work session, voting unanimously on each motion.

The actions move a series of residential and mixed-use subdivisions through the city approval process, authorizing the mayor, city engineer and city clerk to sign final plats and related development agreements. Council members said the agenda item was scheduled to shorten a longer regular meeting later in the week.

The council first voted to approve the final plat for Sunnyside Crossroads Regional Center Division No. 1 and the accompanying reason statement of relevant criteria and standards. The meeting record shows roll-call approval with Councilor Francis, Councilor Dingman, Councilor Freeman, Councilor Larson, Councilor Radford, Councilor Bradford and Council President Burton Shaw recorded as voting yes.

Councilors then approved the Narrows Division No. 2 development agreement and final plat. Staff noted a variance for block length (the block measured about 356.22 feet versus the code requirement) and the planning commission had discussed a temporary turnaround for fire access; the council explicitly recorded that the block-length variance was verbalized as part of the motion before voting.

The council moved on to Woods Crossing Division No. 1, Aspen Meadows Division No. 1, Moss Park (referred to in the packet and discussion as Boss/Moss Park) and Kearny Village Division No. 1, approving each development agreement, final plat and the reason statements of relevant criteria and standards by roll-call votes. No member cast a negative vote in the recorded roll calls.

The votes were taken on the record by City Clerk Emily Geissler. The city reported that the six final-plat items, which the agenda estimated would take 10 minutes each, were handled in roughly 16 minutes during the work session.

Votes at a glance

- Sunnyside Crossroads Regional Center Division No. 1 — development agreement: approved (roll-call yes: Francis; Dingman; Freeman; Larson; Radford; Bradford; Burton Shaw). Final plat: approved. Reason statement: approved.
- Narrows Division No. 2 — development agreement: approved. Final plat (including block-length variance for Latah/Latah block): approved. Reason statement: approved.
- Woods Crossing Division No. 1 — development agreement: approved. Final plat: approved. Reason statement: approved.
- Aspen Meadows Division No. 1 — development agreement: approved. Final plat: approved. Reason statement: approved.
- Moss Park (listed as Boss Park/Bob Clark in materials) — final plat: approved. Reason statement: approved.
- Kearny Village Division No. 1 — final plat: approved. Reason statement: approved.

What the council recorded

All recorded roll-call tallies shown in the meeting transcript list the same seven council members voting in favor: Councilor Francis, Councilor Dingman, Councilor Freeman, Councilor Larson, Councilor Radford, Councilor Bradford and Council President Burton Shaw. No abstentions or no votes were recorded in the work-session rolls for these items.

Why it matters

Final plats, development agreements and accompanying reason statements are the last formal approvals required before subdivided land can be recorded and development proceeds. Approvals authorize city officials to sign final documents and confirm that the plats meet applicable criteria and standards or that the council has accepted any requested variances.

What’s next

Approved final plats and signed development agreements allow applicants to record plats and pursue building permits and infrastructure work subject to the agreements and any conditions placed in the record. Council and staff said the purpose of taking these items at the work session was to shorten the regular meeting agenda later in the week.

Speakers quoted or recorded in the session were limited to council members on the dais and staff who presented the plats; no substantial public testimony or contested debate about individual plats was reflected in the meeting record.","Idaho Falls City Council on Jan. 27 approved six final plats, development agreements and accompanying reason statements for new divisions including Sunnyside Crossroads, Narrows, Woods Crossing, Aspen Meadows, Moss Park and Kearny Village. All motions passed on roll-call votes.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6685724,"City launches Polco community survey to benchmark resident priorities",323,5792000,6115000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6&start=5792&end=6115","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2154702-be47adde5fdf70dbeff3ed18a62c74a6/thumbnail_5792000.jpg","/articles/6685724/Idaho-Falls/Bonneville-County/Idaho/City-launches-Polco-community-survey-to-benchmark-resident-priorities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6685724-e07ee5aece3177f34fd5e3f48cff3818/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437079&Signature=EuT7Fc5QImuKSZDx03or9YsEgMtEyLWgS-lG5dhozW3uK80zCxeVeKNr2YsnfLQoXI2EqzMZse1kkx3h14drlYHiq5859tM04zMMEjfVz7M3juJBLJbvEhqqeXm0ypy-GWa2KPaWWIgMD9Va~9eCd8VUMSg5O9mTu12SFqnWFrNYKLUg4oAUuQ4QtCDyFWW4ULQKFU7TamZqRS3sMXlwW6kx7Ee5c3KhBa1Z3rBIyoECm60yCbxCzQsxE241RUbO4aWNLTtSw6kLiz1MRUpcKvYZGKXKr0RK2W9DM6Z5TqCJwMVUO44QIEIYVrJPf9uh~lYCMqPepettFKOjlvpFUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff launched a community survey on Jan. 27 using Polco’s National Community Survey product, which staff said will allow Idaho Falls to benchmark resident opinions against similarly sized cities nationwide.

Community outreach director Margaret (as identified in the meeting) said the project is funded with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money for this cycle and staff hope to sustain regular surveying in future years. “This community outreach effort… gives us a way to judge our performance compared to similarly sized cities,” Margaret told the council.

How the survey will run

- Random-sample mailings: Polco will mail postcards to a randomly selected sample of approximately 3,500 households in the city. Those recipients will have instructions to complete the survey online. Reminder postcards will follow if response rates are low.
- Open participation: A publicly open version of the survey will be launched in mid-February to allow broader community participation. Staff cautioned that the randomly sampled postcard responses and the open responses are treated separately for statistical validity; combining the two raises the margin of error.
- Timeline: Postcards are expected to arrive within days of the work session. Data collection will close at the end of February, with preliminary results and an executive briefing expected in late March or early April. Polco will present results to the council as part of the project deliverables.

Survey content and local tailoring

The survey uses a core set of benchmark questions (questions 1–12 in the packet) that allow national comparisons. The city added custom questions on parks and recreation, childcare, and airport services to reflect local priorities. Staff also noted they adjusted wording around transportation questions to fit local conditions (for example, this city does not have bus rapid transit).

Participation and interpretation

Margaret said postcards are intended to create a statistically valid random sample; if response rates require it, staff will report both the postcard-sample results and the broader open-response set separately and note differences in margins of error. Staff asked council members to encourage residents to complete the survey.

Council input

Councilors asked about safety questions that referenced the downtown and requested a clearer day/night distinction for perceptions of safety; staff said the survey uses standard benchmark items nationally but that future iterations can split day/night safety questions. Councilors also asked about required response rates and whether the city should disaggregate certain demographic or ethnic subgroups; staff said Polco can produce segmented reports and that Margaret will follow up with required response-rate targets and the company’s recommended sample-size thresholds.

Next steps

Polco will deliver initial results at the end of March or early April and provide a council presentation on findings and recommended next steps.","Idaho Falls has launched a community survey run by Polco (the National Community Survey) using ARPA funds; city staff say postcards to a random sample will be mailed and the public version will open in mid-February, with preliminary results expected late March or early April.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City staff summarizes early 2025 Idaho bills affecting cities; council watchers urged

City staff recommends Workday for ERP replacement; seeks council authorization to proceed to statement of work

Council approves six final plats and related development agreements

City launches Polco community survey to benchmark resident priorities