SARAH MICHAEL
For the Express
The Blaine County commissioners recently received a recommendation from a citizen governance committee of community leaders to place a measure on the Nov. 7, 2006, ballot asking Blaine voters to consider expanding the County Commission from three members to five members. The board will discuss a resolution on Tuesday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. to act on the recommendation and public input is welcome.
The Governance Committee recommended expanding the commission from three to five members for the following reasons: 1) The county is growing and needs commensurate representation for its entirety; 2) Diversity of county interests requires broader representation; 3) The current workload requires five commissioners who could handle it more efficiently and effectively; and 4) Blaine County commissioners would have time to become a more effective voice at the state level where Blaine County challenges are not being addressed.
I would like to add my support to the committee's recommendations and believe the rationale is sound. When one considers the numerous forms of policy and decision-making boards, there are very few examples of three-member boards in the private, non-profit, or city governance arena of which I am aware. In fact, many private companies, government entities, or non-profit boards have more than five members for the reasons the governance committee stated above.
When looking locally, all of our cities have five-member decision-making bodies and most of our local boards and commissions have more than three members. I believe that one of the main reasons that modern governance calls for more members of decision-making bodies is to provide a diversity of opinion, expertise, and representation.
The recommendation from the Governance Committee is to let the voters decide on the question of representation. As part of the election process, I am sure that there will be plenty of debate on the pros and cons of such a measure. Some of the concerns that will be raised include whether there is a "pool of qualified candidates", that the system will be less efficient and more costly, and the fact that larger counties in Idaho still have three commissioners, so why should Blaine County be different? These are all good questions.
The three-member County Commission was created when Idaho counties were primarily responsible for roads and law enforcement. Now the range of duties is broad. In response, the Idaho Legislature in the 1990s (Rep Wendy Jaquet's legislation) specifically authorized the commissioners, or citizens through the petition process, to ask voters to consider optional forms of government, and this is one that I hope that my fellow board members will allow to go forward. If approved in November 2006, the expanded board would not take place until the 2008 general election.
In conclusion, Blaine County should be moving towards more modern governance practices. One of the Board of Commissioners' commitments in our 2005 vision statement was "To lead the State of Idaho in providing innovative and excellent public service at the county level." Putting the question before Blaine County voters would provide an opportunity for the community to discuss these issues and decide if this change would be beneficial.
Sarah Michael is the northern Blaine County representative on the three-member Blaine County Commission. She lives north of Ketchum.
