Twin Falls City Council Regular Meeting – August 17, 2026

The Twin Falls City Council met at 5:00 PM on Monday, August 17, 2026, in the Council Chambers at 203 Main Avenue East, Twin Falls, Idaho. Mayor Jason Brown presided; Vice Mayor Craig Hawkins and Council Members Christopher Reid, Nathan Murray, Cherie Vollmer, and Ruth Pierce were present. Council Member Grayson Stone was absent, though the mayor noted Stone emailed that he was online but audio was not coming through. A quorum was confirmed. The council approved the consent calendar, several contract and funding actions, one rezone, one annexation, and then entered executive session. The regular meeting recessed into executive session at 6:46 PM and formally adjourned at 7:30 PM per the minutes.

Consent Calendar

• Council unanimously (6-0) approved the August 10, 2026 City Council minutes; accounts payable for August 6-12, 2026; and special event permits for the Magic Valley Doula Collective Walk for Postpartum Mental Health, the 2026 Youth Highland Games, Rim2Rim Race 4Homes, The Gathering, Latino Fest, the Magic Valley 9/11 Memorial, Bands at the Bridge, and the Dani Bates XC Race.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Maria Hernandez, a lifelong Twin Falls resident, sang and described her first visit to the In-N-Out restaurant on August 17, where she ordered the 'Ashley burger' to honor shooting victim Ashley Garabay. She praised In-N-Out employees for holding a prayer vigil and for their resilience after the tragedy.
• William Losey, a Twin Falls resident, voiced strong concern about current chip-seal street repair work, describing it as 'shoddy work' and saying flying rocks had damaged vehicles. He invited council members to drive streets such as Madrona, Castle Ridge, R Street, and Clearwater, and asked the city to consider an asphalt overlay; he also raised liability and storm-drain debris concerns.

Discussion Items

• Jacobs Engineering Contract – Rock Creek Watershed: Assistant City Manager Mandi Thompson requested a $140,000, one-year contract with Jacobs Engineering for program management and support of the Rock Creek Watershed Restoration Collaborative. She explained the city adopted the Rock Creek watershed restoration master plan in March 2026, and the contract would support the collaborative steering committee. Council Member Ruth Pierce asked whether the funds would be reimbursed; Thompson confirmed the $140,000 would be paid from the remaining balance of a $5 million direct federal appropriation secured with the help of Congressman Mike Simpson, and that it was 100 percent reimbursable. The council approved the contract 6-0.
• Suburban Construction Management Negotiations: Parks and Recreation Director Wendy Davis requested negotiations with Suburban Construction Management for CM/GC services for the new park property at Elizabeth Boulevard and Hankins Road, selected through the CM/GC service roster. The council approved the request 6-0.
• Guho Corp Negotiations – Baxter's Park Renovation: Davis requested negotiations with Guho Corp for CM/GC services for the Baxter's Park renovation project. Council Member Reid asked whether it was the project discussed for several years; Davis confirmed it includes improvements to the dog park. Davis apologized for a cut-and-paste error in the staff report. The council approved the request 5-1, with Council Member Reid voting no.
• Reserve Fund Reauthorization: Deputy City Manager Mitch Humble requested authorization to use $5,085,917.42 in reserves to finish 12 projects in fiscal year 2026, comprising $899,672.79 from Street Fund reserves, $884,456.88 from Capital Fund reserves, $1,120,300.00 in park impact fees, $1,085,563.07 from Water Fund reserves, $980,924.68 from Wastewater Fund reserves, and $115,000.00 from Library Fund reserves. Humble noted most items were reauthorizations of prior-year encumbrances; the Kimberly Road water line exceeded its original budget by about $85,000 due to railroad crossing costs, and the library needed $115,000 because part-time salaries were omitted from the first full departmental budget. City Manager Travis Rothweiler said unrestricted reserves total about $42.6 million, and more than $70 million when adding back projects not yet directly reappropriated, emphasizing these were not new monies. The council approved the request 6-0.
• FY 2027 Budget Recap: City Manager Rothweiler gave an informational recap, described as the 12th of 13 public budget presentations, with no action taken. He reported a median home value of $374,978, a 3.2 percent increase from May's $373,232; city unemployment of 3.7 percent; national unemployment of 4.2 percent; 1,023 unemployed individuals within city boundaries; a daily service population of about 112,000 people; more than 40,000 vehicles crossing the Prine Bridge daily; total taxable city value over $7.5 billion excluding $17 million in urban renewal value; an estimated 28-cent monthly decrease in the median combined property tax and utility bill; a total FY2027 budget of about $102 million, with tax-supported funds around $65 million and enterprise funds around $32 million; 355 employees; personnel costs at 44.5 percent of the budget; capital and operations/maintenance each at 23.5 percent; and the city's only debt being the 2014 wastewater bond. He also noted the city ranks second among comparable full-service Idaho cities and that this is the last budget based on the 2030 strategic plan, with the 2040 plan to be used first in FY2028. Two public hearings and ordinance adoption were scheduled for the following week.

Advisory Board Report & Announcements

• Vice Mayor Hawkins reminded everyone about the Joining Forces veteran support group meeting on the morning of August 18, 2026, at 7:00 AM at County West. No other advisory board reports were made.

Public Hearings

• 451 Russet St. Zoning Change: City Planner Kelli Ebersole presented a request by Juan Torres to rezone a vacant 6,000-square-foot lot from Central City (CC) to Town Neighborhood-3 (TN-3). The property near Rock Creek Canyon previously had a home that was demolished earlier in 2026; TN-3 would allow a single-family home or duplex on the lot. The Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously recommended approval on July 14, 2026. Applicant representative Javier Beltran said they plan a duplex with a detached garage and alley access, with curb, gutter, and sidewalk improvements to be addressed at the building permit stage. No public testimony was offered; the public hearing was opened at 6:03 PM and closed at 6:04 PM. The council approved the rezone 6-0. Note: The minutes contain an apparent typo describing the request as 'Town Neighborhood-2 (TN-3)'; the agenda and transcript use Town Neighborhood-3.
• 857 Hankins Road North Annexation: City Planner Lisa Strickland presented a request by Geoffrey Wardle on behalf of Mountain West Council – Boy Scouts of America to annex 2.42 acres at the southwest corner of Falls Avenue East and Hankins Road North, with proposed Community Market (CMT) zoning. The property contains an office building constructed in 1980 and has been used by Scouting for nearly 50 years; it is currently in the county. The comprehensive plan designates the location as neighborhood commercial. On July 14, 2026, the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended annexation with Town Neighborhood-1 (TN1) plus a professional office overlay rather than CMT, citing concerns about uses allowed under CMT. Staff found CMT consistent with the neighborhood commercial designation but recommended two conditions: deeding the right-of-way for Hankins Road and Falls Avenue to the city before signing the annexation ordinance, and reconstructing Falls Avenue East and Hankins Road North to city arterial standards to the road centerlines upon development or reconstruction. The applicant argued CMT is appropriate because only 15 of more than 450 CMT uses are permitted by right and the rest require review, while a residential/professional overlay would require special use permits for most uses. Four citizens testified: David Walker of 1031 Hankins Road North asked for more restrictive zoning due to foot traffic and nearby school and church uses; Jay Dodds of 3018 Laurel Wood Drive cited the property's history and supported the P&Z recommendation; Robin Shenk of 3046 Laurelwood Drive concurred with the previous speakers; and Nikki Cruz of Princeton Drive asked the council to preserve the area's 'country feeling' and reject high-traffic uses. The public hearing was open from 6:20 PM to 6:36 PM. Council Member Hawkins recused himself from voting because he serves on the Boy Scouts of America board. Council Member Reid moved to approve the annexation with TN1/professional overlay and the two conditions; the motion failed 2-3, with Reid and Vollmer voting yes, Pierce, Brown, and Murray voting no, and Hawkins abstaining. Council Member Pierce then moved to approve the annexation with Community Market zoning and the two conditions; the motion passed 3-2, with Pierce, Brown, and Murray voting yes, Reid and Vollmer voting no, and Hawkins abstaining. Staff said both land-use items will return for ordinances at a later time.

Executive Session

• The council unanimously (6-0) voted to enter executive session under Idaho Code § 74-206(1)(f) to communicate with legal counsel about the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation or controversies imminently likely to be litigated. The regular meeting recessed into executive session at 6:46 PM and formally adjourned at 7:30 PM without further open-session action.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved 6-0.
• Jacobs Engineering contract approved 6-0 at $140,000.
• Negotiations with Suburban Construction Management approved 6-0.
• Negotiations with Guho Corp approved 5-1.
• Reserve fund reauthorization of $5,085,917.42 approved 6-0.
• FY 2027 Budget Recap was informational; no vote was taken.
• Rezone of 451 Russet St. to TN-3 approved 6-0.
• Annexation of 857 Hankins Road North approved 3-2 with Community Market zoning and the two staff conditions; the alternative TN1/professional overlay motion failed 2-3.
• Executive session authorized 6-0.