Valley County commissioners on Wednesday approved giving Facilities Director Terry Kennedy signature authority up to $7,500 for fiscal year 2026 as part of a workshop on the county’s procurement and signatory authority process.

The workshop, which commissioners said was meant to speed routine maintenance and emergency repairs while preserving legal and budgetary oversight, included detailed discussion of the county’s current procurement policy, the need to use county‑approved contract templates that meet Idaho statutory requirements, and options for preapproved vendor lists and an emergency approval clause.

The policy was adopted to align county practice with Idaho law and to prevent employees from signing outside vendor contracts that may not contain required provisions. A county staff member explained the legal baseline: "The original authority to sign a contract for Valley County rests with this board right here. That's in Idaho law," and that any delegation should be formal and limited.

Terry Kennedy, the county’s facilities director, said she was seeking authority to make "like‑for‑like" replacements and to authorize repairs that are time sensitive, such as heating or plumbing fixes, without waiting for a board meeting. Kennedy said she had not been provided a copy of the current policy earlier and described the county’s approach to maintenance as often "run to fail," arguing a higher delegated limit would reduce total cost and avoid harming employees who work in broken systems.

Staff and commissioners emphasized safeguards if delegation is expanded. Options discussed included: 1) requiring use of the county’s standardized professional services contract (a form that staff said takes roughly 30 minutes to fill out); 2) maintaining prosecutor and clerk review of contracts to ensure statutory compliance and budget availability; 3) preapproving a short list of vetted emergency vendors (HVAC, plumbers, electricians) so directors can contact known contractors quickly; and 4) creating a clear definition and process for declaring and ratifying emergencies.

Commissioners noted statutory limits on multi‑year obligations: the county must obligate funds one fiscal year at a time unless a specific statutory exception applies. The board cited Lakeshore’s trash contract as an example of an allowable exception and confirmed that multi‑year arrangements must include an annual evaluation and an opt‑out provision so the board can decline continuation if funds are not appropriated.

The board asked staff to convene a workshop with department heads (facilities, road, IT and others) to draft specific delegation levels and an emergency clause, to circulate current delegation documents to ensure a central repository, and to consider a cover‑sheet checkbox that would require a copy of any delegation authorization to accompany a contract submitted for review.

Motion and vote
A motion to grant Facilities Director Terry Kennedy signature authority up to $7,500 for fiscal year 2026 was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote. The transcript records the motion and the board’s affirmative response but does not record a roll‑call tally; staff said they will provide a signed delegation document to Kennedy and circulate delegation levels to department heads for confirmation.

What comes next
Staff committed to drafting proposed emergency‑clause language and to scheduling a follow‑up workshop with department heads to define delegation thresholds, vendor preapproval procedures and cover‑sheet verification steps. Commissioners also directed department heads to submit expected rollover contracts earlier in the summer (July/August) to avoid year‑end backlogs and to enable timely review before fiscal year‑end.