Shoshone County officials discuss future plans Pt. 2

WALLACE –– Shoshone County Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman was recently re-elected to his seat as District 3 Commissioner and after finishing a two-year term, he is looking toward a few bigger goals and projects during his longer four-year term in office.  

Establishing and building up additional revenue sources for Shoshone County has been one of Zimmerman’s primary focuses during his time as commissioner, he’s also taken a keen interest in ensuring that existing revenue streams don’t dry up or get politicked away.  

“One of my first priorities is the Federal PILT revenue (PILT stands for ‘payment in lieu of taxes),” Zimmerman said. “PILT is federal assistance, to replace the county's interest in timber harvesting. Our PILT payment this year was approximately 3 million and it passed by only 3 votes in Congress, which is a slim margin. I will be working with federal and state elected officials to find avenues to tap into our resources for alternative revenues.”  

Along with revenue, Zimmerman said that he will continue to pursue the goal of reducing property taxes for Shoshone County residents. In recent years, he has been very vocal about his disdain for the county having to increase levy rates for them to pass the county’s annual budget. This concern has fueled his pursuit of additional revenue sources because he doesn’t want the county to be strictly reliant on taxpayers, especially when the taxpayers own so little of the actual county lands.  

“Shoshone County is unique in the fact that roughly 80% of real property is owned by the federal government, with a small percentage of that owned by the state,” Zimmerman explained. “With our rugged terrain, there is not a lot of area to build. The average county (in Idaho) property tax revenue is about 53% of their budget.” 

This creates a significant gap in funding when you consider that, according to the Idaho Association of Counties, Shoshone County’s property tax revenue is around 30% of its budget.  

“We will never have a property tax base that will be sufficient to fund and sustain our county,” Zimmerman said. “At one time Shoshone County received revenue from timber sales. With Congress possibly eyeing an end to PILT, we will need to take a serious look at opening up our timber industry.”  

Zimmerman was part of a new wave of elected officials when he took office in 2023, a trend that has continued with the recent election. He’s excited to continue his work and have the opportunity to work with the county’s newcomers.  

“I'm looking forward to a new year,” Zimmerman said. “We have federal changes in government which is always interesting. The county is starting with a new clerk and commissioner. It will be interesting to see what they will bring to the table with new ideas and perspectives. Though some may be uneasy about change, it’s necessary in government to ensure that the people are heard.”