Ordinance changes, proposed developments, official records, and the state laws that govern them — with Jerry's position on each. Know what's happening to your county before it's too late to stop it.
Planning and zoning decisions are some of the most consequential choices a county commissioner makes. They determine how your land can be used, what your neighbors can build, and whether growth in this county serves the people already here.
Too often in Jerome County, these decisions have moved forward with little notice, vague agendas, and limited public comment periods. Landowners find out after the fact. Families arrive at meetings only to learn the decision was already made. That is not transparency — that is rubber-stamping.
This page gives you what you deserve: which ordinance changes are being proposed, what they mean in plain language, direct links to the official documents, and where I stand on each issue. If there is a development, rezoning, or comprehensive plan amendment affecting your neighborhood — you will find it here.
If you know of a change I haven't covered yet, send it to me. I want to hear about it.
Because Jerome County does not produce stream video or make recordings easily available, Jerry records these meetings and makes them available to the public. See below.
Every significant ordinance change must include a real public comment period — not a 10-minute window at a Tuesday meeting most people can't attend.
Rezoning that impacts agricultural or residential land must include direct written notification to affected landowners — not just a legal notice buried in a newspaper.
Large-scale industrial development must be evaluated for its impact on infrastructure, property values, and quality of life — not just tax revenue projections.
Conflicts of interest between commissioners, developers, and planning committee members must be disclosed and recused — not hidden.
Full ordinance text must be publicly available at least 10 days before any vote — in plain language, not just legalese.
Jerome County does not currently have a website that allows easy access to documents and it does not allow the public to easily track ordinance and zoning issues. The team has put this site together to provide some of that functionality to the public.
The table below tracks ordinance changes being considered or recently decided by the Jerome County Commission and Planning & Zoning Commission. Jerry's position is included for each. Check back regularly — this page will be updated as new proposals emerge.
Lava Ridge is cancelled — but the infrastructure that made it attractive to outside developers is still being built. SWIP-N terminates at the Midpoint Substation outside Jerome. That makes our county a long-term target for wind, solar, and industrial energy projects. Taurus Wind (1,500 MW) sits directly west. Salmon Falls Wind (800 MW) is 30 miles south. Multiple solar projects line US-93. The fight isn't over — it just changed shape.
Hearings scheduled with minimal public notice. Agenda items described vaguely. Comment periods running during working hours. Idaho Code 67-6509 requires proper notice and hearings before any zoning ordinance is adopted or changed. When I am your commissioner, I will push for a minimum 10-day notice requirement and direct written notification to all property owners within a defined radius of any proposed rezoning.
I support economic development. But growth that comes at the expense of existing residents — through inadequate roads, strained utilities, or industrial operations next to family farms — is not good growth. Every major development proposal must answer: who benefits, and who bears the cost? The answer must always put Jerome County residents first.
Every link below is publicly available — or should be. These are direct connections to Jerome County's official records, meeting minutes, zoning ordinances, and the Idaho state laws that govern what commissioners can and cannot do. Bookmark this page. An informed citizen is a commissioner's best accountability partner.
"Landowners, families, and small businesses are treated like obstacles instead of partners. That stops when citizens have a commissioner who actually reads the record and asks the hard questions."— Jerry Holton