OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

April 7, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting

City Council — Tuesday, April 7, 2026
BodyIdaho Falls, Idaho
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, April 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 41:05

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

They are.

0:06

All right, welcome as I call to order the April 7th, 2026, regular city council meeting.

0:12

Time is 6 p.m.

0:13

Rise with me as I offer the invitation to leave the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:22

Our Heavenly Father bless us as we consider the agenda in front of us tonight.

0:26

Give us the wisdom to act with compassion and vision for what is best for the community.

0:30

Bless and watch over our public safety officers and the community they serve in your name, we pray.

0:35

Amen.

0:37

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:44

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice.

0:55

Mayor Scott Bradley.

0:56

Here.

0:57

Mayor Protim Elizabeth Abraham?

0:58

Here.

0:59

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Janay Butler.

1:01

Here.

1:02

Councilmember, please two, Scott Smith.

1:04

Here.

1:04

Councilmember please three, Andrew Chase.

1:06

Here.

1:06

Councilmember place for Ken Oldman?

1:09

Here.

1:09

Councilmember Place Five, Laura Deal?

1:11

Here.

1:11

Mayor certified the presence of a corn.

1:13

Thank you.

1:15

All right.

1:18

With that, we're going to move on to public comments.

1:20

This is a time we set aside on the agenda to allow residents to address counsel on items that are not on the agenda this evening.

1:27

There are some guidelines with our public comments.

1:30

As elected city officials, we are here to listen to you.

1:33

We recognize you, the people have a First Amendment and Texas statutory right to speak at public meetings.

1:39

City has consistently placed an agenda item on the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings for public comments.

1:47

The city, its officials, and employees will act upon and consider only objective, non-discriminatory reasons and factors and legitimate government purposes in all city businesses, including land use issues.

1:59

The city, its officials, and its employees will not consider any discrimination in any way, including religious discrimination.

2:06

The city, its officials, and its employees will treat all persons and property owners equally.

2:12

So with that, I do have one public comment form tonight, and that is Mr.

2:17

Maynard Little.

2:31

Welcome, Mr.

2:32

Little.

2:33

Thank you.

2:38

Maynard Little, 1004 St.

2:40

Mark Drive.

2:42

Good evening.

2:44

At the last uh at the end of the uh last at a council meeting that at the end of the annual comprehensive financial report presented on uh March 3rd, 2026, council meeting by a consultant from Weaver and Tidwell.

3:01

A council member asked the consultant if he thought Murphy was transparent.

3:10

Let's do some critical thinking and role playing.

3:13

Pretend you are a consultant who has worked for the city in the past and hope to work for the city in the future.

3:20

Now for the critical thinking part.

3:23

As a consultant for the city, how would you answer such a question?

3:27

Clearly, you would applaud the city regarding any of its endeavors.

3:33

A consultant employed by the city cannot be unbiased.

3:37

Another member asked if there were ways to disseminate information better.

3:42

The city manager stated that it was uh being considered, including many things were being considered, including a rollout of budget bytes.

3:51

Additionally, the manager said that it was important to make the information available and to be there to answer questions and being transparent to help residents understand.

4:07

I have presented numerous examples of the lack of transparency exhibited by city leaders.

4:13

Another occurred recently in which I submitted an ORR on March 12th, did not receive an answer until April 2nd.

4:22

The response was received only after I inquired regarding its status.

4:27

In three previous council meetings, I have requested a meeting with each of you so that you can explain the critical thinking and data used to support your approval of the stormwater fee increase.

4:40

None of you have contacted me and set up a meeting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████37%
Public Safety█████████████████████████25%
Parks and Recreation███████████████15%
Public Engagement█████████9%
Environmental Protection██████6%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██2%
Summary of Proceedings

April 7, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting

The Murphy City Council met on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting featured presentations, public comments, consent agenda approvals, a resolution on 911 funding, and an executive session. The council recessed from 6:15 p.m. to 6:35 p.m. for a reception and reconvened at 6:35 p.m. Executive session ran from 6:59 p.m. to 7:48 p.m. with no action taken.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved consent agenda items A, D, and E unanimously. Item A had revised language about public comments and removal of reconvening language from joint meeting minutes.
  • Items B and C were removed from the consent agenda and considered separately; both were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Maynard Little, 1004 St. Mark Drive, addressed the council on transparency. He criticized the city's responsiveness, citing delays in responses to open records requests and lack of replies from councilmembers. He requested individual meetings with each council member to discuss the stormwater fee increase. He expressed frustration that councilmembers Smith and Chase have never responded to his inquiries.

Presentations

  • Recycled Truck Art Contest (6A): JC presented the winners of the 13th annual contest. 39 students from kindergarten through 10th grade submitted artwork on what "Keeping Murphy Beautiful" means to them. Second-place artwork will be displayed as vinyl decals at park pavilions (a new initiative replacing Big Belly trash cans). First-place artwork will appear on a Republic Services truck for one year. Winners were recognized, and a reception followed.
  • Proclamations: The council proclaimed April 2026 as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (read by Elizabeth Abraham, recognizing Turning Point Rape Crisis Center) and April 22, 2026, as Earth Day (read by Laura Deal, highlighting the city's spring cleaning green event on April 11).
  • Employee of the Quarter (6D): Anisha Sabu announced Shannon Long from the police department as the second employee of the quarter for fiscal year 2026, recognized for going above and beyond and embodying the city's core values. Police Chief presented the award.

Discussion Items

  • Item 7A – Upcoming Events: City Manager Staff reported upcoming events: Spring Cleaning Green (April 11, 9 a.m.–noon), early voting (April 20–25 at Murphy Community Center), drug takeback event (April 25, 10 a.m.–noon), Murphy's Backyard Barbecue (April 25, 12–3 p.m.), Moonlight Movies adults-only night (May 15 at Murphy Central Park), and next council meeting (April 21).
  • Item 9A – Resolution on Wireless 911 Fee Adjustment: Councilmember Janay Butler introduced the item, noting that the statewide 911 wireless fee has remained 50 cents per device since 1997, creating an unsustainable shortfall. Texas reported a $75.9 million deficit in 2022, projected to grow to $112.9 million by 2027 (a 48% gap). 911 districts cannot levy property taxes and rely solely on state-set fees. Liana Russell from North Central Texas Emergency Communication District provided background, highlighting unfunded mandates for next-generation 911 and the district's early adoption of text-to-911 and real-time text capabilities. The resolution supports adjusting the fee to 75 cents and a sustainable funding model. The council approved the resolution unanimously.
  • Item 9B: Tabled to the May 19, 2026, regular city council meeting.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved consent items A, D, and E.
  • Approved Item B (construction plat extension for Platform Gardens, 311 McMillan Road).
  • Approved Item C (replat for Palatine Investment Group, 141 North Murphy Road, subdividing lot and adding fire easement).
  • Approved Item 9A (resolution supporting statewide wireless 911 fee adjustment).
  • Tabled Item 9B until May 19, 2026.
  • Executive session held; no actions taken.

Meeting Transcript

They are. All right, welcome as I call to order the April 7th, 2026, regular city council meeting. Time is 6 p.m. Rise with me as I offer the invitation to leave the Pledge of Allegiance. Our Heavenly Father bless us as we consider the agenda in front of us tonight. Give us the wisdom to act with compassion and vision for what is best for the community. Bless and watch over our public safety officers and the community they serve in your name, we pray. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice. Mayor Scott Bradley. Here. Mayor Protim Elizabeth Abraham? Here. Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Janay Butler. Here. Councilmember, please two, Scott Smith. Here. Councilmember please three, Andrew Chase. Here. Councilmember place for Ken Oldman? Here. Councilmember Place Five, Laura Deal? Here. Mayor certified the presence of a corn. Thank you. All right. With that, we're going to move on to public comments. This is a time we set aside on the agenda to allow residents to address counsel on items that are not on the agenda this evening. There are some guidelines with our public comments. As elected city officials, we are here to listen to you. We recognize you, the people have a First Amendment and Texas statutory right to speak at public meetings. City has consistently placed an agenda item on the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission meetings for public comments. The city, its officials, and employees will act upon and consider only objective, non-discriminatory reasons and factors and legitimate government purposes in all city businesses, including land use issues. The city, its officials, and its employees will not consider any discrimination in any way, including religious discrimination. The city, its officials, and its employees will treat all persons and property owners equally. So with that, I do have one public comment form tonight, and that is Mr. Maynard Little. Welcome, Mr. Little. Thank you. Maynard Little, 1004 St. Mark Drive. Good evening. At the last uh at the end of the uh last at a council meeting that at the end of the annual comprehensive financial report presented on uh March 3rd, 2026, council meeting by a consultant from Weaver and Tidwell. A council member asked the consultant if he thought Murphy was transparent. Let's do some critical thinking and role playing. Pretend you are a consultant who has worked for the city in the past and hope to work for the city in the future. Now for the critical thinking part. As a consultant for the city, how would you answer such a question?

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