Latah Panel Urges Government Revamping

In Latah County, it’s merger, expansion and a bit of the status quo.

That is if the county commissioners and the voters agree that, after more than 100 years, Idaho’s county government should be different.

Wednesday a nine-member study group, similar to Kootenai County’s, told the Latah County troika that it’s time to hire a county manager and combine the duties of treasurer and assessor. The district court clerk’s duties should be taken from the clerk-auditor’s office and formed into a separate job, said Ken Gallant, a University of Idaho law professor who served on the study commission.

There should be two prosecutors, one elected to deal with criminal matters and one appointed to take the civil work. All of the rest of the major officials should be hired instead of elected, the Latah County group recommended.

The current system, of electing everyone from the auditor to the sheriff creates six entities that compete for power. “I think the competition drives conflict,” Gallant said.

The Latah County group says the number of commissioners should stay at three.

There’s apparently no word on how the Latah County Commissioners will deal with the proposal. Like the Kootenai County group, Gallant wants the voters to decide.

More than 70 percent of Latah County voters supported the 1994 constitutional amendment allowing the county government change, he said. “We think that is a mandate from the voters that they want a choice.”

, DataTimes