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Record of Proceedings

Twin Falls City Council Meeting Summary — September 21, 2026

City Council — Monday, September 21, 2026
BodyTwin Falls, Idaho
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, September 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:31

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

0:04

Okay, we'll go ahead and uh call the Twin Falls City Council meeting for September 21st, 2026 to order.

0:12

I will confirm that we have five members uh in the council chambers and um Nathan Murray may be calling in.

0:22

I'm not sure if we have him yet or not, but we do have a quorum to proceed, and so we will do so.

Speaker 2

0:28

Uh the item the

Speaker 1

0:29

next item is the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:32

Any of those that would like to participate, please stand

Unassigned speaker

0:37

the

Speaker 3

0:37

allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic or which is one nation of justice for all.

Speaker 1

0:53

Thank you.

0:57

Okay, our next item is the consent calendar.

1:00

What are council's wishes?

Speaker 4

1:01

Move to approve.

Speaker 1

1:02

I'll second.

1:03

We have a motion and a second to approve the consent calendar as written.

1:07

Any further discussion by the council?

1:10

Okay, Rachel, roll call vote, please.

Speaker 5

1:13

Jason Brown.

Speaker 1

1:14

Yes.

Speaker 5

1:14

Jerry Fulmer, yes.

1:16

Frank Hawkins.

Speaker 1

1:16

Yes.

Speaker 5

1:17

Chris Reed.

1:18

Yes.

1:18

And Ruth Pierce.

Speaker 1

1:19

Yes.

1:19

Okay, motion carries five to zero.

1:22

That takes us into our items of consideration.

1:25

Our first is a presentation on youth empowerment or empowerment solutions.

1:31

And the I think is that make sure when you come with the mics

Speaker 2

1:50

on.

Unassigned speaker

1:58

Well, you turn on the mic, Leah.

Speaker 6

2:00

Push the button, perfect.

Speaker 7

2:03

Microphones, wonderful.

2:07

And guys, do the same, like adjust it and speak towards the mic.

Unassigned speaker

2:12

Okay.

Speaker 7

2:13

So thank you for having us here.

2:16

And thank you for having Magic Valley Youth Empowerment Solutions, give a presentation to

Unassigned speaker

2:25

you.

Speaker 7

2:26

I will give a little introduction and then the purpose of

Unassigned speaker

2:31

the

Speaker 7

2:31

group being here is for them to take the lead and present the program to you and answer any questions you might have.

2:40

And this is their first time, and they're just plunging right in to present this project.

2:46

We didn't even do an open house.

2:48

Some of their parents are here.

2:50

This is their first presentation.

2:52

They're incredible, they're going to do marvelous.

2:57

And here is the introduction.

3:00

So what is yes?

3:02

Um, about two years ago, so in 2024, um, I'll just read the notes here.

3:10

In the fall of 2023, Wise State University, in cooperation with the Wasman Center for Human Rights, along with Idaho Healthy Community Challenge, began a statewide initiative to prevent youth and young adults from joining violent extremist groups, adopting ideologies, and participating in the youth targeted violence.

3:34

And that category includes self-harm, school shootings, mass violence, including cyberbullying and cyberviolence.

3:44

The word youth for the sake of this research includes high school students up to 24-year-olds, and in some data baselines, 26-year-olds.

3:57

So keep that in mind.

4:10

Similar to the approach utilized to prevent young people from using drugs, smoking, drinking alcohol before they are of age, and more um famously the studies behind an initiatives like called DARE.

4:25

If you're familiar with that, the initiative entails forming local county-based coalitions.

4:35

And we had one here in Twin Falls that would meet for two years about and conducting a study, conducting a assessment, a community assessment of assets and also of resources in the community, and also driving factors within the county and the community.

4:56

We had partners throughout Twin Falls County, including from our school district,

Unassigned speaker

5:01

from

Speaker 7

5:01

Twin Falls PD, nonprofits, voices against violence, health and welfare, and through that process, driving factors were identified within our county.

5:14

Twin Falls was one of eight selected counties where this assessment would be conducted.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Youth Programs███████████████████████████████████35%
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████25%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████12%
Procedural█████████9%
Mental Health Awareness████████8%
Animal Welfare███████7%
Public Engagement███3%
Public Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Twin Falls City Council Meeting Summary — September 21, 2026

The Twin Falls City Council met in regular session on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM at 203 Main Ave E., Twin Falls, Idaho. Mayor Jason Brown presided, with Vice Mayor Craig Hawkins and Council Members Christopher Reid, Cherie Vollmer, Ruth Pierce, and Nathan Murray participating; Nathan Murray joined by phone after the consent calendar. The council approved routine consent items, rejected airport equipment bids, approved an engineering contract, heard a youth-led presentation, and discussed the process for filling a council vacancy.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the consent calendar, 5-0, by roll call vote; Nathan Murray did not participate in this vote.
  • Approved the September 14, 2026 City Council minutes; Accounts Payable for September 10-16, 2026; September 16, 2026 Travel Requests; and special event permits for the Chick-fil-A Twin Falls Fall Festival, Oktoberfest, Bridge to Hope, Community Harvest Festival, and Trick or Treat on Main.

Youth Empowerment Solutions Presentation

  • Citizen Liyah Babayan introduced Magic Valley Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES). Youth presenters included Anjali Babayan, Graceland MacDonald, Caleb Mackey, Damien Reen, Beatrice, and Sarkis Pobayan. They described YES as a pilot program developed from a fall 2023 statewide initiative with Boise State University, the Wasman Center for Human Rights, and the Idaho Healthy Community Challenge to prevent youth and young adults from joining violent extremist groups and participating in targeted violence.
  • Twin Falls was one of eight counties selected for community assessment and one of two counties chosen for the pilot program. The original YES curriculum was created in the 1990s and first implemented in Flint, Michigan, in 2004. The Twin Falls group has met weekly after school from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. since January 2026.
  • The youth presented project options, including suicide awareness and prevention kits, drug awareness, and cyberbullying. They ultimately selected a youth interview project focused on mental health and cyberbullying, to be conducted at the mall after consent-form issues kept them from doing it at the fair.
  • Presenters cited statistics: 36-50% of young people try illicit drugs or other addictive products by the time they graduate from high school; about 30% of teens aged 13-19 — approximately 26 million teens, or one in three — have experienced cyberbullying; young victims are twice as likely to engage in self-harm or suicidal thoughts; and over two-thirds of victims say cyberbullying hurts how they view themselves.
  • The group emphasized that YES is "by the youth, for the youth" and expressed hope to expand with community support. Council members invited the group to return after completing their interview project.

Discussion Items

Wheel Loader Bid Rejection

  • Airport Director Matt Barnes reported that the two bidders, Coastline and CESCO, could not meet the Buy America requirements for FAA-funded equipment procurement. Staff recommended rejecting all bids, reformulating the project, and rebidding.
  • Council Member Christopher Reed moved to reject the bids and allow staff to rebid; Council Member Cherie Vollmer seconded. The motion passed 6-0.

J-U-B Engineers Terminal Access Improvement Contract

  • Matt Barnes requested approval of an engineering contract with J-U-B Engineers in the amount of $386,350 for the terminal access improvement project, covering ADA improvements and utilities into the terminal. The agreement was to be reviewed by legal before the mayor signed it.
  • Council Member Ruth Pierce moved to approve the contract subject to legal review and mayoral signature; Council Member Christopher Reed seconded. The motion passed 6-0.

City Council Vacancy Appointment Process

  • Mayor Brown discussed the process to fill the vacancy created by Grayson Stone's resignation effective September 15, 2026, and to prepare for a possible second vacancy if Council Member Vollmer wins the November election.
  • Proposed timeline: application window from Monday, September 28, through Friday, October 16, at 4:00 p.m. via the city website; qualification and application review during the week of October 19-23; candidate presentations to the council on November 2; mayor's appointment recommendation and council vote on November 9.
  • Mayor Brown said the initial review committee would include himself, Vice Mayor Hawkins, and Council Member Ruth Pierce. Applications will include questions on the candidates' reasons for running, community involvement, and intent to seek reelection. Council members emphasized the time commitment, continuity, and the importance of candidates being serious about running for reelection in November 2027. This was a discussion item; no formal vote was taken.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Kelly Devine expressed support for a free spay and neuter program for feral cats in Twin Falls. She described feral cats as unhealthy and multiplying, with one unspayed female able to produce dozens of kittens in a few years. She said state grants are available for such programs, and argued the program would reduce the feral cat population, improve health of remaining cats, ease community burdens, and be cheaper and humane long-term.

Advisory Board Reports & Announcements

  • Chief of Police Matthew Hicks announced National Night Out will be held Tuesday, September 22, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at City Park, after being postponed from August 1.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent calendar approved 5-0.
  • All wheel loader bids rejected; staff authorized to rebid, 6-0.
  • J-U-B Engineers contract approved at $386,350, 6-0.
  • Vacancy appointment process timeline and selection committee set; no formal vote on the process.
  • The executive session listed on the agenda was not held, and the meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we'll go ahead and uh call the Twin Falls City Council meeting for September 21st, 2026 to order. I will confirm that we have five members uh in the council chambers and um Nathan Murray may be calling in. I'm not sure if we have him yet or not, but we do have a quorum to proceed, and so we will do so. Uh the item the next item is the Pledge of Allegiance. Any of those that would like to participate, please stand the allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic or which is one nation of justice for all. Thank you. Okay, our next item is the consent calendar. What are council's wishes? Move to approve. I'll second. We have a motion and a second to approve the consent calendar as written. Any further discussion by the council? Okay, Rachel, roll call vote, please. Jason Brown. Yes. Jerry Fulmer, yes. Frank Hawkins. Yes. Chris Reed. Yes. And Ruth Pierce. Yes. Okay, motion carries five to zero. That takes us into our items of consideration. Our first is a presentation on youth empowerment or empowerment solutions. And the I think is that make sure when you come with the mics on. Well, you turn on the mic, Leah. Push the button, perfect. Microphones, wonderful. And guys, do the same, like adjust it and speak towards the mic. Okay. So thank you for having us here. And thank you for having Magic Valley Youth Empowerment Solutions, give a presentation to you. I will give a little introduction and then the purpose of the group being here is for them to take the lead and present the program to you and answer any questions you might have. And this is their first time, and they're just plunging right in to present this project. We didn't even do an open house. Some of their parents are here. This is their first presentation. They're incredible, they're going to do marvelous. And here is the introduction. So what is yes? Um, about two years ago, so in 2024, um, I'll just read the notes here. In the fall of 2023, Wise State University, in cooperation with the Wasman Center for Human Rights, along with Idaho Healthy Community Challenge, began a statewide initiative to prevent youth and young adults from joining violent extremist groups, adopting ideologies, and participating in the youth targeted violence.

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