County agrees to repay Idaho Power district‑court tax difference from contingency ($5,308.72)

Jefferson County commissioners voted on Jan. 6 to pay the county’s portion of a district court–ordered tax adjustment to Idaho Power in the amount of $5,308.72, using county contingency funds rather than reallocating the liability across multiple local taxing districts.

A county staff member presented correspondence and a breakdown from Idaho Power showing the tax differences and noted interest was accruing. The county’s assessor and treasurer had reviewed the company’s valuation materials and found no internal discrepancies, staff said. Commissioners discussed the administrative burden of recalculating distributions across nearly 20 taxing districts and agreed that paying from contingency would be simpler and avoid shortfalls for individual districts.

A commissioner moved to authorize repayment of $5,308.72 to Idaho Power from the contingency fund; the motion was seconded and approved on roll call. Staff said the county will process payment promptly; Idaho Power had indicated willingness to suspend accumulating interest past Dec. 31 if the county demonstrated a plan to resolve the liability.

— Ending: County finance staff and the treasurer will prepare paperwork to complete the repayment and notify affected taxing districts of the chosen approach.