Ray Ledgerwood — Described as having contacts throughout the country in the Soil and Water Conservation Commission world and helping identify comparable state setups.
Ray Ledgerwood — Subcontracted as part of the study work.
Tammy Nichols — Tammy Nichols is referenced in a discussion of the soil and water conservation commission’s recommendations and the process for presenting those recommendations to legislative oversight bodies. The exchange connects the commission’s organizational recommendations with how they would be reported to committees or other legislative bodies.
Mr. Weaver — Mr. Weaver responds to questions about the merger and contract structure, explaining that about $90,000 has been billed under the contract and that the work is split between the two agencies. He says the merger has had almost unanimous support, anticipates additional savings from combining operations and capital expenditures, and explains that the proposed organization would be similar to the current commission structure with support services carved out. The discussion also turns to next steps and whether there may be pushback on moving forward.
Ron Taylor — A Senator Harris is referenced as the sponsor of SCR 115, but no matching expected member is available; the name remains uncertain.
Ron Taylor — Senator Taylor thanked the presenters and suggested that additional funding might be directed toward the walk-paw. The response noted that he was not the first person to raise that idea during the process.
Director — Addressed by Senator Van Orden in the question about hiring authority.
Brian Patton — Referenced as the current bureau chief/title holder with the Water Board.
Braden Jensen — Identified as being with Idaho Farm Bureau and as having reported to House Ag that the organization was neutral on the proposal.
Christy Zito — The chair calls on Senator Zito, who responds by asking about the cost of conducting the study, prompting discussion of that question.
Matt Weaver — Matt Weaver, Director of the Department of Water Resources and Administrator for the Soil Water Conservation Commission, introduced himself and explained that he and Brian Keakley of the Langdon Group were presenting an overview of the past eight to ten months of work evaluating and making recommendations for merging the Soil Water Conservation Commission with the Department of Water Resources.
Bryant Keakley — Bryant Keakley, executive director of the Langdon Group, introduced himself and explained that the firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of JUB Engineers focused on conflict management, facilitation, strategic communication, and public involvement. He then outlined the evaluation schedule referenced by Director Weaver and described the situational assessment phase as a standard process used in their projects to gather stakeholder input and support the broader evaluation.
Todd Lakey — Senator Todd Lakey asks about the proposal’s efficiencies, cost savings, and whether it would reduce personnel, and the response begins addressing those concerns.
Julie VanOrden — Senator Julie VanOrden moved to approve the February 19, 2026 minutes.
Julie VanOrden — Senator Julie VanOrden asks for clarification about the merger proposal, first regarding whether the commission would be involved in hiring the bureau chief and then about the organizational structure shown in the org chart. The responses confirm that the commission would play an active role in recruiting and selecting the person, and that the structure would be similar to the commission’s current stand-alone organization.
Christy Zito — Identified as the second on the motion; transcript says 'Senator Zido,' which appears to refer to Senator Zito.
Dave Lent — Moved approval of the February 17, 2026 minutes.
Todd Lakey — Seconded the motion to approve the February 17, 2026 minutes.