OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Twin Falls, Idaho/City Council
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Twin Falls City Council Meeting Summary – August 10, 2026

City Council — Monday, August 10, 2026
BodyTwin Falls, Idaho
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, August 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:33

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:47

Okay, we'll go ahead and call the uh city council meeting for August 10th, 2026 to order.

0:53

I will confirm that we have a quorum.

0:56

We have six members in uh in person and Councilman Reed is online.

1:02

We'll start out with the uh Pledge of Allegiance.

1:04

Any of those that would like to follow along and participate, please stand.

Unassigned speaker

1:09

I

Speaker 2

1:10

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

1:21

Yeah, justice for all

Unassigned speaker

1:26

the

Speaker 3

1:27

thank you.

Speaker 1

1:27

I will uh as we have over the last several weeks, uh if tonight uh in our public comment uh opportunity,

Unassigned speaker

1:36

uh

Speaker 1

1:37

please make sure that you sign up on the uh the sign-up sheet out front, and we'll go through that process as we get to that point in the meeting, but just again wanted to remind everybody that if you want to address the council tonight, we'll have you sign

Unassigned speaker

1:52

in.

Speaker 4

1:53

We'll move

Speaker 1

1:54

into our items of consideration.

1:55

What are council's wishes?

1:57

Move to approve the consent calendar is written.

2:00

Mr.

2:00

Mayor's second.

2:01

Appreciate it.

2:02

Uh had a motion to approve the consent calendar uh with a second.

2:06

Sorry I said items consideration, but I meant consent calendar, so thank you.

Speaker 4

2:11

Um

Speaker 1

2:11

any uh further discussion.

2:14

Rachel roll call vote, please.

Speaker 5

2:16

Ruth Pierce,

Speaker 1

2:17

yes,

Speaker 5

2:17

Craig Hawkins, yes, Jason Brown,

Speaker 1

2:19

yes,

Speaker 5

2:19

Carrie Vulmer, yes, Grayson Stone.

Speaker 1

2:21

Yes,

Speaker 5

2:22

Nathan Murray.

2:23

Yes, and Chris Reed.

Speaker 1

2:26

Motion carries seven to zero.

2:28

Now we'll move into our consent calendar items.

2:31

Uh we our first presentation tonight is the pre t presentation of roadmaster certificates.

2:38

Mark, you doing that tonight.

Unassigned speaker

2:41

Okay.

Unassigned speaker

2:44

Uh

Speaker 6

2:44

good evening, Mayor and Council.

2:46

Uh thank you for allowing us the time to come before you tonight and recognize uh Will Fuller for his completion of the Road Scholar and Roadmaster program, and also Zach Kausner uh for his completion of the roadmaster program.

2:59

Uh tonight we have a representative from the local highway technical assistance council.

3:05

Ums, and he will kind of give a brief description of what it takes to complete the programs and present uh Will and Zach with their certificates.

3:20

So I'll turn it over to Janey.

3:22

Perfect.

3:22

Thanks, Mark.

Speaker 7

3:23

Appreciate it.

3:24

Thank you, Mayor.

3:24

And and council members.

3:26

Um I've been here before.

3:27

You're new.

3:28

It was changed a little bit.

3:29

Um and I see that a lot when I travel now.

3:32

Um also employees a lot of times.

3:34

I there's everything's changing so much.

3:36

So thank you for allowing us to come and present some awards uh to some of your employees.

3:41

Uh Road Scholar, for those of you that are not familiar with it, 80 hours of training.

3:46

Um and testing goes along with that, so that in order for them to get that certificate, they have to have a passing grade of 80 or higher.

3:54

So it assures that you guys are getting your dollars worth and they're actually getting the the knowledge that you're paying them to go get for you guys.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Fiscal Sustainability███████████████15%
Parks and Recreation██████████10%
Arts And Culture██████████10%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Capital Improvement Projects████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Twin Falls City Council Meeting Summary – August 10, 2026

The Twin Falls City Council met on Monday, August 10, 2026, at 5:00 PM. Mayor Jason Brown presided, with all seven council members present. The meeting included a police swearing-in ceremony, employee recognition, approval of wastewater HVAC funding, a comprehensive review of the FY 2027 budget, and public testimony on the city's use of Flock surveillance cameras.

Consent Calendar

The council unanimously (7-0) approved the Consent Calendar, which included the August 3 meeting minutes, accounts payable from July 30 to August 5, and travel requests from August 5.

Public Comments & Testimony

Four residents addressed the council:

  • Maria Hernandez expressed profound gratitude to Police Chief Matthew Hicks and Fire Chief Mitchell Brooks for their leadership following a community tragedy on August 1st, affirming community resilience.
  • Kandace Miano urged the council to terminate the Flock camera program and remove the cameras, arguing they represent a threat to civil liberties and the freedoms defended by military members.
  • Ben Miano opposed the Flock system, raising concerns about data security, modifications to Flock's terms of service (specifically the removal of language prohibiting data sales), and the company's control over data access.
  • Blake Coleman also opposed the cameras, citing potential facial recognition capabilities, publicly available live feeds from hacked cameras, and a history of law enforcement misuse.

Discussion Items

  • Employee Recognition: City Engineer Troy Vitek and Street Superintendent Mark Thomson, alongside a representative from the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council, presented Road Master certificates to employees Will Fuller and Zakery Hausner. Police Chief Matthew Hicks then swore in three new officers (Kyle Boas, Patrick Jones, and Murad Salvarov) and presented POST emergency communications certificates to dispatchers Justice Larson, Megan Parker-Smith, Emily Hill, Martin Becerra, and Jason Kelly.

  • Wastewater HVAC Funding: Environmental Manager Nathan Erickson requested and received unanimous approval (7-0) for $91,284.34 from wastewater reserve funds to replace corroded HVAC units in the Dewatering and Headworks #2 buildings at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

  • FY 2027 Budget Recap & Council Capital: City Manager Travis Rothweiler presented the final budget review, noting the city's taxable value has grown to $6.782 billion and highlighting a projected $0.28 decrease in the tax rate for the median household. The council discussed the allocation of $820,000 in Council Capital.

    Council Capital Discussion Details: The council debated several proposals for the $99,000 in unallocated funds:

    • Arts Council: Council Member Ruth Pierce recommended a seed money allocation of approximately $60,000 to the Arts Council. Staff was directed to work on a resolution for ongoing funding.
    • Shade Structures: Council Member Cherie Vollmer explored permanent shade structures for city parks. City Manager Rothweiler advised that temporary options had failed structurally and permanent solutions require significant engineering and snow load considerations.
    • Meals on Wheels: Council Member Nathan Murray questioned the request for $25,920 (balance of 2026) and $74,880 (2027) for the Meals on Wheels program. City Attorney Bruce Castleton clarified the city could contract for such services.
    • Harmon Park Skate Park: Parks Director Wendi Davis provided an update, confirming designs are complete and the city is seeking community fundraising partners.

Key Outcomes

  • HVAC Funding: Authorized $91,284.34 from wastewater reserve funds (7-0).
  • Council Capital Approved: A motion by Council Member Pierce, seconded by Council Member Vollmer, to approve $721,000 in council-directed capital projects while reserving the remaining $99,000 for future decisions passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Staff Directives: Staff was directed to collaborate with the Arts Council on a future funding resolution and to initiate an engineering assessment for park shade structures for FY 2028 consideration.
  • Executive Session: The council voted unanimously (7-0) to adjourn to an executive session at 6:29 PM to discuss personnel matters and pending litigation (Idaho Code § 74-206(1)(b) & (f)). The public meeting did not reconvene.

This summary is based on the agenda, official minutes, and transcript of the meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we'll go ahead and call the uh city council meeting for August 10th, 2026 to order. I will confirm that we have a quorum. We have six members in uh in person and Councilman Reed is online. We'll start out with the uh Pledge of Allegiance. Any of those that would like to follow along and participate, please stand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands for nation under God. Yeah, justice for all the thank you. I will uh as we have over the last several weeks, uh if tonight uh in our public comment uh opportunity, uh please make sure that you sign up on the uh the sign-up sheet out front, and we'll go through that process as we get to that point in the meeting, but just again wanted to remind everybody that if you want to address the council tonight, we'll have you sign in. We'll move into our items of consideration. What are council's wishes? Move to approve the consent calendar is written. Mr. Mayor's second. Appreciate it. Uh had a motion to approve the consent calendar uh with a second. Sorry I said items consideration, but I meant consent calendar, so thank you. Um any uh further discussion. Rachel roll call vote, please. Ruth Pierce, yes, Craig Hawkins, yes, Jason Brown, yes, Carrie Vulmer, yes, Grayson Stone. Yes, Nathan Murray. Yes, and Chris Reed. Motion carries seven to zero. Now we'll move into our consent calendar items. Uh we our first presentation tonight is the pre t presentation of roadmaster certificates. Mark, you doing that tonight. Okay. Uh good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh thank you for allowing us the time to come before you tonight and recognize uh Will Fuller for his completion of the Road Scholar and Roadmaster program, and also Zach Kausner uh for his completion of the roadmaster program. Uh tonight we have a representative from the local highway technical assistance council. Ums, and he will kind of give a brief description of what it takes to complete the programs and present uh Will and Zach with their certificates. So I'll turn it over to Janey. Perfect. Thanks, Mark. Appreciate it. Thank you, Mayor. And and council members.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com