College trustee zoning bill gets rework

COEUR d’ALENE — Idaho lawmakers introduced a new version of a college trustee zoning bill that would allow elected trustees to finish their terms before new districts are implemented.

Republican Rep. Greg Chaney of Caldwell had introduced a previous bill, HB 387, that would divide the population of college districts into the five equal zones.

That bill passed the House earlier this session. However, it garnered criticism because it would have kicked some current trustees out of office before their terms expired.

Mark Browning, North Idaho College’s vice president for communications and governmental relations, was in Boise Tuesday morning when the new bill passed.

Browning said NIC does not have an official position on either bill, but he did say some were concerned about the first bill.

HB 387 would have required the college to create five zones in Kootenai County that are roughly equal in population to each other, and one trustee would be elected from each zone.

Trustees would have to reside in the zones they represent, but they will still be elected by everyone in the district.

Browning said much of that language remained in the replacement bill that was passed Tuesday, but some of the contentious language was changed.

Under the first bill, once colleges rezoned their districts and found two or more incumbent trustees in one of the newly created zones, only the trustee with the highest seniority in that zone would remain seated and the others would be eliminated. The board would appoint new trustees in the unrepresented zones.

Under the bill that passed Tuesday, all of the incumbents would be allowed to serve out their elected terms and run for re-election at the next regular election.

After the first bill passed, Browning said he had an opportunity to meet with Chaney and the state’s two other community colleges to express their concerns with HB 387.

“It was good that we had an opportunity to provide input,” he said. “It’s a better bill now.”

Browning said if the new bill makes it through the Legislature this year, it is something he could live with.

“I was happy with the changes that went into the bill,” he said, adding the board of trustees has not had an opportunity to meet and discuss the new bill.

Chaney said the purpose of the bill is to ensure rural interests are represented at the colleges.

The House State Affairs Committee unanimously approved the new bill Tuesday. It must now clear a legislative hearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.