Last week, the Enterprise ran Mayor Hawkins’ report on the State of Malad City.  This week, we bring you the reports in a similar vein from county officials.  The County Commissioners assigned the departments to draft statements updating residents on notable issues from 2024 and those that are being looked forward to in 2025.  There are a number of authors in the parts of this document, and where provided we have left the attribution intact.  We thank those who worked on these updates, and express the belief that it is extremely important for local governments to communicate with their citizens.

Clerk’s Office

As we reflect on the past year, Oneida County finds itself positioned for continued success in 2025. Once again, we received a “clean” audit from Searle, Hart, and Associates, a testament to the diligent efforts of my deputy clerks and the solid foundation laid by those who have served before us. We are fortunate to stand on the shoulders of individuals who have shaped this community with integrity and dedication.  In late 2023, we welcomed two new deputy clerks to the office, Mandi Armstrong and Shanci Dorius. 

Over the past year, they have taken on significant responsibilities, gaining invaluable experience in areas such as financials, recordings, elections, and assisting with commissioner meetings and processes. Their growth has been greatly supported by Natalie Murphy, whose expertise has been instrumental in their development. Together, with the exceptional support of our poll workers, Natalie, Mandi, and Shanci ensured the seamless execution of both the primary and general elections.

They are now focused on preparing for the upcoming consolidated elections. As part of this preparation, we held a Logic and Accuracy training session for the public prior to the November 2024 election, providing transparency and insight into our election processes. It was a rewarding experience for all who attended.

For the May 2024 election, there were 1,404 total votes cast, including 99 Election Day

Registrations (EDRs) and 121 early votes. In November 2024, 2,476 votes were cast, with 308 Election Day Registrations (EDRs) and 457 early votes.

In the Courts Division, our deputy clerks—Diane Skidmore, Lacie Montgomery, and Dale Davis—have consistently demonstrated dedication and hard work. Despite the challenges of system upgrades and busy schedules, they have excelled in sharing best practices, improving processes, and adapting to change. A key focus this year has been preparing for the final phase of the courthouse renovation project, which will make the county building fully ADA compliant. The main floor and basement renovations have been completed, and courtroom updates are expected to finish by spring.

I am incredibly proud of the diligence, professionalism, and commitment demonstrated by each of my employees. Their unwavering focus on providing high-quality service to the citizens of Oneida County is inspiring, and I am grateful for the opportunity to work alongside them.

Thank you for entrusting me with the privilege of serving this community. I look forward to another year of progress and success.

Lon Colton

County Clerk

Emergency Management Services

There have been several great strides over the past year in our emergency preparedness efforts. Thanks to the efforts of our local Emergency Manager, Dan Williams and our Area Field Officer, Darin Letzring, we’ve been able to purchase a generator for the Event Center and the accompanying propane tank. It has been installed and ready for an emergency for over 6 months now. We’ve also held a successful Town Hall Meeting that was well attended by the community where each attendee received a printed copy of the Oneida County Family Emergency Preparedness Guide. This and other valuable resources are also available on the County’s website.

Economic Development

Working closely with our 4-Casi representative, Molly Beseris along with our SICOG and REDI partners we continue to look for opportunities to assist our county and city along the path of strategic and beneficial economic development.

Veterans Services

Our Veterans Services Officer, Mr. Bob Stokes, has done a remarkable job in identifying and filling critical healthcare needs for our beloved veterans. We wish to thank all those who have served in this capacity in the past and a special thanks to Bob as he retires from this position. We are currently looking for anyone who would be interested in filling this important position. If you are interested, please contact Brian Jeppsen at [email protected].

TV Translator District

We are currently looking for volunteers to serve on this advisory board as this provides a key communication resource for our county. 

Extension Office

2024 was a successful year for the Oneida County-University of Idaho Extension Office. Many successful programs were held which provided pertinent and updated information to local citizens on a variety of topics. Some of these successful Extension programs included a forage school, equine dentistry class, tree pruning, pressure/water bath canning classes, meal prep for families, and a beef heifer development course this fall. Most of these came at the request of local individuals. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to learn about, please contact our office. Many local producers/land owners were also assisted by our Extension Educator, Sawyer Fonnesbeck, with soil sampling and nutrient testing of stored baled hay to be fed to livestock animals.

 4-H

The 4-H youth development program in Oneida County is alive and thriving. Over 200 youth participated in over 300 projects this past year. Our county fair was one of the best attended by the community. Big thanks to the fair board and our community for your support of these 4-H youth and their hard work. In May the 4-H, FFA, and Soil and Water Conservation District hosted an elementary school Ag Day that was held at the Event Center. All youth in the Malad Elementary School came to learn about agriculture and local conservation efforts and the event was a great success. The 4-H office was also granted a request by the county commissioners to increase the hours of our 4-H coordinator to a full-time position. We are excited that this will further advance our mission to provide learning opportunities to the youth of Oneida County. The individuals in our office wish you all a Happy New Year and we look forward to an exciting 2025.

Assessor’s Office

The Assessor’s Office is physically inspecting in the Daniels, Arbon & St. John area for 2025 and we are still working on digitizing all of our records.  It has been a long process, but we are nearing the end of it.  We are also working on creating an agriculture form to be put on our website oneidaid.us.  I would love for all of our farmers to go online and fill out that form.  If you will do that, we will have definite local numbers when we look at our ag land values for 2025.

Parks & Recreation has implemented a new software system and we have that up and running.  The state is still working on loading everyone’s profiles, but more and more are on there every day.  We are hopeful that everything will run smoothly once that is done.

Oneida County Weed Department – 2024 Fiscal Year Accomplishments

We conducted extensive spraying along county roadsides and on county properties, including the airport, fairgrounds, and various county buildings. This proactive approach helped control invasive vegetation and maintain clear, safe spaces for public use. Again, this year, we brought back the Landowner Cost Share Program provided by the Utah and Idaho Cooperative Weed Management Association, funded by the Idaho State Department of Agriculture. The program has successfully assisted over 120 landowners this year in spraying and treating more than 2,000 acres. This initiative provides vital support for managing invasive species, improving land health, and promoting sustainable land use practices, benefiting both the environment and the local community.

Working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Services, we were able to bring in a helicopter to efficiently spray over 2,200 acres in the Samaria, Hansel and Pleasantview Mountain ranges along with 500 acres Between Weston Canyon and 2 Mile. This collaboration allowed for a large-scale, effective treatment of invasive species, significantly enhancing land health and supporting environmental conservation efforts across the region.

This year definitely provided some challenges but we are looking forward to seeing the benefits in 2025.

Planning and Zoning 

In 2024, Oneida County land action applications were on the rise.  The Planning and Zoning office processed One Time Splits, Ag Splits, Minor Subdivision, Conditional Use Permits, Rezones applications, Ordinance and Zoning Map amendments.

The three amendments made to the Oneida County Development Code and zoning Map in 2024 were implemented in response to public input, including some grammatical corrections, and added a Chapter 8 to accommodate the Agricultural Protection Area, as mandated by state legislators. 

The Airport Overlay Map was approved, along with the Wild Land Interface, and the Planned Unit Development was also identified and approved.

Looking forward to 2025-

Oneida County Planning and Zoning Commission and Staff

IDAWY Landfill District

IDAWY  is in the process of constructing the Transfer Station Facility in Oneida County.  The dirt work is almost complete and the construction on the facility will begin this spring as weather allows. When the facility is complete, citizens going to the landfill site will dump their garbage on a tipping floor and the IDAWY staff will push it into a transfer trailer. Once the trailer is full it will be transported to the Regional Landfill site located between Soda Springs and Georgetown.  Currently IDAWY represents the counties of Oneida, Bear Lake, Caribou in Idaho, and Lincoln county in Wyoming.

Prosecutor’s Office

With the departure of Judge Brower and his legal assistant Leah, late last year, we have a new team in the Prosecutor’s Office. Fuller & Fuller, PLLC, in Preston has taken over the duties of the Prosecuting Attorney on a contract basis. Lyle Fuller, Ethan Rawlings, and Preston Olsen split the duties of the County Attorney. Lyle handles most of the civil duties, assisting with things such as county commissioners meetings, Ethan primarily handles the Criminal Prosecution, and Preston helps advise the Planning and Zoning department. We also have a new assistant, ShyAnn White. This past year has been a fun and challenging learning experience for all of us, and we are excited to continue to serve the citizens of Oneida County.  

Oneida County R&B – 2024 Fiscal Year Accomplishments

Oneida County Road & Bridge’s accomplishments for the 2024 year included blading 240 miles of road, dustguarding 90 miles of gravel road, chip sealing 26 miles, fog sealing 3 miles of asphalt as well as doing a repave in place for .5 mile.  We, along with the Railroad, repaired the crossing on 1500 South.  A lift of gravel was put on 3 miles of Woodruff Road and 2 miles of Dairy Creek Road as well as .5 mile going to the Deep Creek Dam and .5 mile of Cattlemans Road on the Summit.  At least a dozen culverts were changed out and 2 new ones were installed.  

Oneida County was awarded a $100,000 Grant to help with the cost of a new bridge on Woodruff Road.  The R&B is still working to complete the 2023 LHSIP (rumble strip) grant and the Transportation Plan Grant.  The realignment of Depot Road was completed and will be paved in 2025 as the detour route for the Malad City Bannock Street Project.

It has been a very busy year, but many things have been accomplished.

Treasurer’s office

Investments are going strong in the Treasurer’s Office.  In FY24 (October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024) we collected $466,944.67 in interest for the county.  I currently have funds invested in the Local Government Investment Pool, Certificate of Deposits, Bonds, and accounts at banking institutions.  My hope is to maximize our interest by carefully building our investment ladder, so we continue to be prosperous even if interest rates drop.    

We have collected $2,005,240.20 for the first half of 2024 taxes.  Outstanding taxes for 2024 first half are $137,347.52, outstanding taxes for 2023 are $68,328.12, and outstanding taxes for 2022 are $32,091.70.  The total outstanding is $237,767.34 for all three years.  We also are pleased to announce that there will be no tax deed sales this year.  I would like those who are delinquent to know my office is willing to help set up payment plans, and will accept payments daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly.  Really, I will accept payments however it is convenient for you.  Also, if you would like to prepay your estimated taxes early, you are welcome to do so.  Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions.  Thank you, Leigh Love, Oneida County Treasurer/Tax Collector.

Building Department

In 2024, there were 112 building permits issued in Oneida County. The permits issued were for 6 commercial buildings, 59 outbuildings, 33 single family dwellings, 0 multi-residential buildings and 14 miscellaneous permits. The number of permits in 2023 slightly increased from the 105 permits issued in 2023. The trend for single family dwellings in 2025 could possibly increase due to approved subdivisions in Oneida County. 

Starting on January 20, the courtroom will be remodeled to make it ADA compliant.