Why Gem County Is Becoming a Training Ground, And How We Fix it

There’s a quiet problem in Gem County that most people feel but don’t always see.

When you want longer at the counter. When permits take longer than they should. When deputies seem stretched thin. When dispatch sounds short staffed.

That’s not random. That’s turnover.

I submitted a public records request asking for hiring data, termination data, current vacancies, and pay scales over the past two years. The county provided the records.

What those records show is simple:

Empoyees are leaving across multiple departments, not just one.

Sheriff’s Office. Road & Bridge. Planning & Zoning. IT. Clerk. Fairgrounds. Weed Department.

And as of February 10th, 2026, public safety positions were still listed as open, including patrol, detention, and 911 dispatch.

That’s not a one time departure. That’s churn.

Now here’s the part that should concern every taxpayer.

In its official response, the county stated it does not maintain reports tracking employee retention, staffing shortages, or how long positions remain vacant.

We track who leaves. We track who we hire. But we don’t track how long we operate short staffed, or why employees are leaving.

You can’t fix what you don’t measure.

Let’s Talk About Why People Leave

This isn’t complicated. Look at current wage postings.

Gem County dispatcher pay is in the high teens per hour. Detention deputies start under twenty dollars per hour. Patrol deputies are not in the same range as neighboring counties.

Now compare that to Ada County and Canyon County, where similar roles frequently start in the mid 20s per hour and move into the 30’s with experience.

That’s a $6 to $12 per hour gap. Over a year, that’s $12,000 to $25,000.

That’s not minor. That’s the difference between scraping by and getting ahead.

Yes, Gem County has a structured wage schedule by grade. On paper, it looks orderly. But paper doesn’t compete with market reality.

So what happens?

We hire good people. They get trained. They gain experience. Then they leave for higher pay 45 minutes down the road.

That’s what a training ground looks like. And here’s the sentence that matters:

“Right now, Gem County is spending money to stay stuck instead of investing money to move forward. “

What This Means to You

When positions sit open, someone else absorbs the workload. When workloads increase, burnout increases. When burnout increases, service slows down.

You feel it at the DMV. You feel it when calling dispatch. You feel it when permits take longer than they should.

Turnover is not abstract. It shows up in your daily life.

What It’s Actually Costing Us

Turnover isn’t free.

Every time we lose a deputy, dispatcher, planner, or road operator, the county pays for:

Recruitment. Background checks. Onboarding. Training. Overtime coverage while the position is vacant. Lost productivity while a new hire learns the job.

Conservative workforce estimates put replacement costs at 30% to 50% of annual salary. If a public safety employee makes $50,000 per year, turnover con cost $15,000 to $25,000 per departure.

Add that up across Baltimore positions over two years.

It is entirely reasonable to estimate Gem County is losing roughly $100,000 per year in churn, money spent recruiting and retaining just to maintain the same staffing level.

We are already spending the money. We’re just not getting stability in return.

The Solution, And What It Costs

This does not require reckless spending. It requires targeted management.

If we strategically adjusted wages for approximately ten high turnover, high impact public safety and technical positions by an average of $5 per hour, that would cost roughly $100,000 per year.

The same $100,000 we are currently losing to churn.

Instead of spending $1000,0000 to stay in place, we spend $100,000 to build stability.

Same money. Different outcome. And, it’s not just pay.

People stay where expectations are clear. Where leadership is consistent. Where advancements is visible. Where compensation reflects the market.

Retention is not mysterious. It’s management.

Right now, we are unintentionally funding instability. Which basic workforce strategy, we could fund strength instead.

How I Know This, And Why I Can Help Fix It

I don’t speak about retention from theory.

I’ve built it.

For the past seven years, I’ve owned and operated a restaurant here in Sweet, Idaho.

Hospitality is known for extreme turnover. National averages show employees lasting barely over two months in many rerestaurants.

Two months.

Yet our business averages nearly one year of tenure, with multiple team members at three, four, and even five years.

That does not happen by accident. Retention is leadership.

Pay matters. Benefits matter. Culture matters. Clear expectations matter. Consistent management matters.

I’ve been directly involved in payroll structures and compensation solutions for nearly twenty years. Solutions look different depending on the department or business. Public safety isn’t planning. Planning isn’t road and bridge. But leadership principles are universal.

You measure. You adjust. You build culture. You create pathways. You lead.

Throwing money at a problem without strategy is wasteful. Refusing to invest when the numbers demand it is short-sighted. A good manager does neither.

Bottom Line

If we can’t keep good employees, we can’t deliver good services. This isn’t about blame. It’s about management.

Gem County employees deserved leadership that competes intelligently, measures performance honestly, and plans ahead instead of reacting behind.

Because stability in the workforce means stability in service. And stability in service is what residents actually experience.

Commissioner’s Corner

This is Commissioner’s Corner. I’ll continue using this platform to identify issues and propose solutions within Gem County government, openly and directly.

Transparency isn’t just about posting documents. It’s about explaining why decisions are made, what information went into them, and how those decisions affect you.

Government works best when residents understand the process, not just the outcome.

More articles to come.