Legislation targets Ada highway district
Hartog
BOISE — Once again, the Ada County Highway District and its election process find themselves the target of legislation.
Sen. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, introduced a draft bill before the Senate’s State Affairs Committee on Friday, presenting a renewed effort within the Legislature to alter how county highway district elections are carried out. With the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) being the only countywide highway district in the state, it would be the only body impacted if the changes proposed by Den Hartog were to pass into law.
Den Hartog’s legislation seeks firstly to change the scope of county highway district elections to match that of county commissioner elections.
In the case of the ACHD, the body’s five district commissioners live in their constituents' district, which elects them. That contrasts with the Ada County commissioners, for example, which similarly need to live within a particular district, but participate in countywide elections.
The legislation also seeks to change the process behind ACHD’s elections, which are currently nonpartisan and have commissioners serving four-year terms.
Though not altering the term length, Den Hartog is proposing that the 2026 election cycle mark the start of ACHD candidates participating in partisan races with primary elections.
The bill serves as a successor to House Bill 471, which failed in the previous legislative session and similarly sought to have ACHD commissioners participate in countywide, partisan elections. Though HB 471 passed the House last year, it failed to pass the Senate.
In testimony on the prior bill, representatives from ACHD voiced concerns that introducing primaries could bring out-of-state influence to these elections and result in taxpayer dollars being siphoned from transportation projects to fuel partisan conflicts.
Previous failed legislative efforts also included a bill to add two appointed commissioners to ACHD, one to be appointed by the governor and the other by the Ada County Commissioners.
Den Hartog's legislation was recommended for introduction at the committee meeting Friday, opening the opportunity for a public hearing on the matter at a later date.