Bill Description: Senate Bill 1235 would reduce the terms of library district trustees from 6 years to 4 years for elections from 2025 onward. 

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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?

Senate Bill 1235 would amend Section 33-2715, Idaho Code, to reduce the terms of library district trustees from 6 years to 4 years for elections from 2025 onward. This change would not be retroactive and the bill says, "Trustees elected in 2023 or earlier shall serve the remainder of the regular six (6) year term for which they were most recently elected."

In general, shorter terms of elected office tend to make elected officials more responsive to their voters, and six years is particularly long relative to most other elected officials who typically serve 2- or 4-year terms (with U.S. senators being the most notable exception.)

It has never been clear why library district trustees serve longer terms than county commissioners or school board trustees, and this bill would remove this anomaly from the law.

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