WALLACE — In early August, Shoshone County Public Works Director Jessica Stutzke cut nearly 40% from the county’s roads budget. Last week, she met with county commissioners to discuss restoring some of it. 

The cuts were driven by the sudden loss of Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding, declining state revenues, and the inability to make up those losses with taxes from the county's annual levy.

On Dec. 18, President Donald Trump signed the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill, introduced by Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo in February, languished in the House for nearly six months before passing Dec. 9. 

The legislation restores SRS payments for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and authorizes funding for 2026 for counties with large amounts of untaxed federal forest land. SRS provides a financial lifeline to rural counties by replacing lost property tax revenue and funding essential services like schools, road maintenance and emergency response. 

“It’s nice to finally have a really exciting thing to talk about at this table,” Stutzke told commissioners. 

The 40% cut earlier this year represented $1.6 million, money used for staffing, vehicle and heavy machinery maintenance, fuel, equipment leases and various projects. 

For FY25, Shoshone County is set to receive $2.8 million, Stutzke said. About $1.3 million will be divided among the three local school districts, with the remainder going to the roads budget. The county will also receive about $800,000 in back pay from FY24. 

Stutzke said she was relieved to hear of the bill’s passage, emphasizing its importance for small, rural counties. 

“SRS is massive for us; it’s massive for Idaho counties,” she said. “But for some of the other counties, like Kootenai, that are larger, they see a little bit of a shift. But it’s nothing as catastrophic as it is for us when we lose it.” 

She told the board she doesn’t plan to fully restore her previous budget but wants to meet with commissioners and department supervisors to “triage” the areas hit hardest. 

As part of her cuts, Stutzke reduced her field staff by nine positions and eliminated one office job. The plan moving forward was to use temporary employees during busy seasons, offering decent wages but no benefits. 

With the expected infusion of funds, Stutzke hopes to bring back some full-time positions but wants to be strategic. 

Other priorities include addressing the county’s fleet of vehicles, reviewing leases on three loaders, maintenance budgets and money set aside for projects such as striping and chip sealing. 

Commissioner Jeff Zimmerman suggested that, following two recent emergency declarations for flooding and windstorm damage, Stutzke take a couple of months to meet with her leadership team, commissioners and Shoshone County Clerk Lori Osterberg before the board reopens the budget. 

He also requested a separate meeting soon to discuss options for the leased loaders. 

Stutzke agreed to both requests. 

“I really want to take a smart approach,” she said. “We have an opportunity to kind of rethink things a little bit. It’s not very often we get a redo on things.”