ITD, State Legislators Meet in Shoshone

SHOSHONE, Idaho (KLIX) – The Idaho Department of Transportation board is meeting this morning to discuss the pros and cons of moving the district headquarters.

State legislators, who also are meeting in Shoshone, have already come out and voiced opinions about the topic.

“The geographic center of District 4 is Shoshone,” Sen. Michelle Stennett, and Reps. Sally Toone and Steve Miller said in a joint statement dated Sept. 18. “Current personnel are 50 percent north/50 percent south, depending on one’s delineation boundary, demonstrating that all parts of the district are already part of the hiring pool.”

The region office accounts for more than 60 percent of the jobs in Shoshone, they said, noting that moving the office to another locale would “drain $250,000 from the local economy annually.” They estimate that building a new building in Shoshone would be $200,000 less than building one in Jerome or Twin Falls.

The last time the location of a new building for ITD District 4 was discussed, the District 4 board member understood rural challenges and insisted that Shoshone was the proper location. We agree. The importance of ITD to Shoshone cannot be overestimated. With over 60 employees and potentially 30 more hired in the next 10 years to replace those retiring, District 4 has qualified people in the Shoshone office who understand rural Idaho first hand and ITD is already having trouble filling job openings in larger communities.

 More information will be posted as it becomes available.