CHAPTER 4.

(S. B. No. 2.)

AN ACT

TO CREATE AND ORGANIZE THE COUNTY OF JEROME IN THE STATE OF IDAHO; TO DEFINE THE BOUNDARIES THEREOF AND THE BOUNDARIES OF THE COUNTIES OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA IN SAID STATE AFTER SAID COUNTY OF JEROME HAS BEEN CREATED; TO CLASSIFY JEROME COUNTY; TO DESIGNATE THE COUNTY SEAT THEREOF AT JEROME, IDAHO; TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPORTIONMENT OF THE INDEBTEDNESS OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES BETWEEN SAID COUNTIES, RESPECTIVELY, AND JEROME COUNTY, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE PAYMENT THEREOF; TO PROVIDE FOR THE DIVISION OF THE PROPERTY AND MONEYS OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES, RESPECTIVELY, BETWEEN SAID COUNTIES, RESPECTIVELY, AND JEROME COUNTY; TO PROVIDE FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF THE COUNTY OFFICERS IN AND FOR JEROME COUNTY AND PRESCRIBING THEIR DUTIES; TO PROVIDE FOR THE TRANSCRIPTION AND TRANSFER OF THOSE PORTIONS OF THE RECORDS AND FILES OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES, RESPECTIVELY, RELATING TO PERSONS AND PROPERTY WITHIN JEROME COUNTY, AND TO PRESCRIBE THE DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES IN REGARD THERETO; TO PROVIDE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPERTY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF JEROME COUNTY FOR THE YEAR 1919, AND PRESCRIBING THE DUTIES OF THE ASSESSORS OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES RELATING THERETO; TO CONSTITUTE JEROME COUNTY PART OF THE FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE TRANSFER OF CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS NOW PENDING IN THE COURTS OF LINCOLN, GOODING AND MINIDOKA COUNTIES, RESPECTIVELY, TO THE COURTS OF JEROME COUNTY; TO PROVIDE FOR THE REPRESENTATION OF SAID COUNTY OF JEROME IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES PROPER AND INCIDENT TO THE ORGANIZATION AND CREATION OF THE COUNTY OF JEROME; AND REPEALING ALL ACTS AND PARTS OF ACTS INCONSISTENT WITH THIS ACT.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

SECTION 1. That there shall be and there is hereby created and formed, out of parts of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka Counties in the State of Idaho, a new County, to be called Jerome County, to be organized as hereinafter provided in this Act.

SEC. 2. That all that portion of the State of Idaho included in the following boundaries, to-wit:

Beginning at the Northwest corner of Section Five (5) Township Seven (7) South, Range Sixteen (16) East Boise Meridian, thence East thirteen (13) miles, more or less, to the Northeast corner of Section Five (5), Township Seven (7) South, Range Eighteen (18) East Boise Meridian, thence south two (2) miles, more or less, to the Southwest corner of Section Nine (9), Township Seven (7) South, Range Eighteen (18) East Boise Meridian, thence east one (1) mile, more or less, to the Southeast corner of Section Nine (9), Township Seven (7) South, Range Eighteen (18) East Boise Meridian, thence south one (1) mile, more or less, to the Southwest corner of Section Fifteen (15), Township Seven (7) South, Range Eighteen (18) East Boise Meridian, thence east fifteen (15) miles, more or less, to the Northeast corner of Section Twenty-four (24), Township Seven (7) South, Range Twenty (20) East Boise Meridian, thence South three (3) miles, more or less, to the Northeast corner, Section One (1), Township Eight (8) South, Range Twenty (20) East Boise Meridian, thence east six (6) miles, more or less, to the Northeast corner of Township Eight (8) South, Range Twenty-one (21) East Boise Meridian, thence south following the range line between Ranges Twenty-one (21) and Twenty-two (22) East Boise Meridian, to the center line of Snake River, thence down the center line of the channel of said river, following its meanderings to a point where the same intersects the section line between Sections Seventeen (17) and Eighteen (18) in Township Nine (9) South, Range Sixteen (16) East Boise Meridian, thence north to the place of beginning, shall be and constitute the County of Jerome.

SEC. 3. All that portion of the present County of Lincoln within the State of Idaho, not embraced within the boundaries of the County of Jerome, as described in Section Two (2) of this Act, shall remain and constitute Lincoln County; all that portion of the present County of Gooding within the State of Idaho, not embraced within the said boundaries of the County of Jerome, shall remain and constitute Gooding County; all that portion of the present

County of Minidoka within the State of Idaho, not embraced within the said boundaries of the County of Jerome, shall remain and constitute Minidoka County.

SEC. 4. The County Seat of said County of Jerome is hereby located and declared to be the village of Jerome, Idaho.

SEC. 5. The County of Jerome is hereby declared to be a county of the fifth class.

SEC. 6. Until otherwise provided by law, the County of Jerome shall constitute a senatorial district of the State of Idaho, and shall be entitled to elect one Senator and one Representative to the Legislature, Provided, however, That as to the election of Senator and Representative, this Act shall not be effective until the next biennial election.

SEC. 7. The County of Jerome shall be included in and form a part of the Fourth Judicial District of the State of Idaho, and the terms of the District Court for said county' shall be fixed by the judges of said court in the same manner now provided by law for fixing terms of district courts in this State.

SEC. 8. The territory of said Jerome County for judicial purposes and enforcement of the laws against crime shall be deemed to belong to the territory of the respective Counties of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka until the officers of said County of Jerome shall have been appointed and qualified as herein provided.

SEC. 9. All organized and existing precincts, school districts, road and highway districts, villages and other municipalities, the whole of which are included in the territory of Jerome County, shall continue to be organized precincts, school districts, road and highway districts, villages or municipalities, as the case may be, and as such be and become a part of Jerome County, and the officers thereof shall continue to be such until their successors are elected or appointed and qualified.

SEC. 10. In case the boundary lines between the Counties of Jerome and Lincoln, Jerome and Gooding, and Jerome and Minidoka respectively, shall divide any established precinct or road and highway district, such fractions of such precincts or road and highway districts shall be deemed to be and hereby are declared to be organized territory of the county in which said fractions are located, respectively, and it shall be the duty of the County Commissioners of the county in which such fractions are located to attach such fractions of former precincts and road districts to such adjoining similar subdivisions in their county, as they may de

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termine to be best. All school districts which shall be divided by the boundary line of Jerome County, are hereby declared to be joint districts of both counties, and shall be governed by the provisions of law applicable to joint districts.

SEC. 11. Within ten (10) days after this Act shall take effect, the Governor of the State of Idaho is hereby authorized and directed to appoint for the County of Jerome the following officers: Three County Commissioners; a Sheriff; a clerk of the District Court, who shall be ex-officio Auditor and Recorder and Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners; a County Treasurer, who shall be ex-officio Public Administrator, and ex-officio Tax Collector; a County Assessor; a Coroner; a Surveyor; a Probate Judge; a County Superintendent of Public Instruction, and a Prosecuting Attorney.

All of said appointees shall possess the qualifications prescribed by the general laws of the State of Idaho for such officers. Each of said officers shall perform the duties and have the powers and privileges prescribed, defined and limited by the general laws of the State of Idaho governing such officers, and in addition thereto shall do and perform the duties prescribed by this Act.

The Recorder so appointed as above provided for, shall within sixty days after his appointment qualify before a judge of the Fourth Judicial District of the State of Idaho, and the other officers shall immediately thereafter qualify in the manner now provided by law and enter upon the discharge of their respective official duties. The officers so appointed shall hold their respective offices until their successors are elected and qualified the same as if they had been elected at the regular general election held in 1918.

SEC. 12. The County Commissioners of Jerome County shall, within ten (10) days after their qualifications, as aforesaid, meet at the Village of Jerome within said county and provide suitable offices and places within the corporate limits of said village for the officers of said county, with suitable accommodations for the safe keeping of the papers, files, records and other personal property belonging to the said county or connected with any of the offices therein, and suitable places for the holding of District Court and for the care and custody of prisoners.

The said County Commissioners shall at such meeting divide said county into three (3) commissioner's districts, reorganize the unorganized subdivisions of the county as herein otherwise provided, and in general do all things necessary to systematize the business of said Jerome County and to carry out the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 13. The indebtedness of the existing counties of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka, respectively, at the time of taking effect of this Act, shall be apportioned and the property thereof be divided between the counties of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka, respectively, and Jerome County, as follows:

1. The county court houses, together with all furniture, fixtures and appurtenances thereunto belonging, and the real estate upon which the same is situated, and the county poor farms and county pest houses and grounds, shall be and remain the property of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka counties, respectively.

2. All county bridges and roads and other public improvements located within the boundaries of Jerome County shall be and remain the property of Jerome County without compensation therefor to Lincoln, Gooding or Minidoka counties; and all county bridges and roads and other public improvements located within the boundaries of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka counties, respectively, as herein defined, shall be and remain the property of said Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka counties, respectively.

3. All taxes collected by the Assessors of Lincoln, Gooding and Minidoka counties, respectively, for the year 1919, on personal property, including migratory stock, within the territory included within Jerome County, both before and after this Act shall take effect, shall be the property of Jerome County; and such taxes so collected on property within their respective counties outside the territory included in Jerome County, shall be and remain the property of such counties respectively.

4. All other property, real, personal and mixed, belonging to the County of Lincoln, as heretofore existing, shall be divided, and all indebtedness thereof shall be apportioned between the Counties of Lincoln and Jerome, as herein defined, in the proportion that the assessed valua- of the taxable property in Lincoln County, as herein defined, and in the portion of Jerome County taken from Lincoln County as heretofore existing, as shown by the assessment roll of 1918, bears to the total assessed valuation of Lincoln County as heretofore existing; and all such property belonging to the Counties of Gooding and Minidoka, respectively, as heretofore existing, shall be divided and all indebtedness thereof apportioned between said counties, respectively, and Jerome County, in the same manner as is provided for the division of property and apportionment of indebtedness between Lincoln and Jerome Counties.