Victor Ethics Complaint Finds No Consultant Conflict

VICTOR — A Victor ethics complaint against the city's one-person consulting firm prompted two attorneys to examine whether a conflict of interest exists. Both concluded it does not. The consultant, Troy Butzlaff of Athenian Partners LLC, has held overlapping contracts as interim city administrator, capital and special projects manager, and executive director of the Victor Urban Renewal Agency since 2021. Out of "an abundance of caution," City Administrator Jeremy Besbris wrote in an April 8 email responding to the complaint, the consultant was asked to make a disclosure to the VURA board.

The response came 15 days after Victor resident Gregory Davis filed the formal complaint alleging the arrangement created an undisclosed conflict under Idaho's Ethics in Government Act.

The arrangement

Butzlaff is the sole employee and president of Athenian Partners LLC, a California limited liability company based in Tetonia. He has served Victor in three roles, all contracted through his firm.

Mayor Will Frohlich signed the interim city administrator contract on June 30, 2021. It paid $35 per hour for 16 to 20 hours per week. Butzlaff reported to the mayor and functioned as Victor's chief executive officer on an interim basis while the city searched for a permanent administrator.

The VURA executive director contract was signed July 13, 2022 between the agency and Athenian Partners. Butzlaff was still serving as interim city administrator at the time. The contract paid $35 per hour for 15 to 20 hours per month. An amendment signed by VURA Chairman Ian Everard raised the rate to $65 per hour effective October 1, 2025. As executive director, Butzlaff manages VURA's day-to-day operations, prepares budgets, and coordinates with the City of Victor on capital projects. He does not vote. The VURA commissioners make funding decisions.

The capital and special projects manager role replaced the interim administrator position. City payment records show the transition from interim administrator billing to capital project management billing around October 2022, when the city hired Jeremy Besbris as permanent administrator. In this role, Butzlaff manages city capital improvement projects, prepares requests for proposals, and develops the city's Capital Improvement Program.

The city, the mayor, and the VURA commission all knew Athenian Partners held the other contracts when each agreement was signed.

The Victor ethics complaint

On March 24, Gregory Davis filed a formal ethics complaint with the Victor City Council. Annamarie Davis and Howard Bybee filed identical complaints. The complaints cite Idaho Code sections 74-403, 74-404, 18-1357, 18-1359, and 50-2017. Davis has been active on Victor governance issues, including funding the "Victor Watchdogs" mailer sent to all postal customers earlier this year. His complaint is based on public records and certifies that the information was gathered "in the course of journalistic investigation."

The complaint's central argument is structural. Under Idaho Code 74-403(4), a conflict of interest exists when an official action would result in private pecuniary benefit to a business with which a public official is associated. The complaint argues that as VURA executive director, Butzlaff's firm shapes which projects the agency pursues, and as capital and special projects manager, the same firm manages and bills for city capital projects.

The complaint also alleges Butzlaff appeared at Teton County Joint Housing Authority meetings in 2022 in a dual capacity without disclosure. Victor's city clerk said the city does not hold Housing Authority records, as Tetonia made that appointment.

Davis also filed a parallel complaint with the Idaho Attorney General's office.

The city's response

On April 8, Besbris sent Davis a written response. The city attorney and VURA's counsel had each independently reviewed the matter, Besbris wrote, and both concluded there was no conflict of interest. The city nonetheless had Butzlaff make a disclosure to the VURA board "in an abundance of caution."

Besbris drafted the disclosure himself in a March 27 email to Butzlaff. It describes the arrangement as "known and understood from the outset" and explains that when VURA finances a project later implemented by the city, Butzlaff may be assigned to oversee it under his separate city contract at his city hourly rate. The statement's purpose, according to its own text, was to "eliminate any suggestion that the arrangement was undisclosed or improper."

At the April 8 council meeting, City Attorney Herb Heimerl told the council the city had investigated and found no wrongdoing. He characterized the complaints as containing "threats." Councilor Amy Ross said the findings should be communicated publicly. Councilor Sue Muncaster asked that someone reply to the complainants' email with a written statement of actions taken.

Compensation records

The scale of compensation matters to the conflict analysis. Under Idaho Code 74-403(4), the statute contemplates a conflict in which an official action results in pecuniary benefit to an associated business. The pecuniary benefit flowing to Athenian Partners is modest.

City of Victor payment records show Athenian Partners billed the city approximately $12,700 in calendar year 2025 for capital and special projects management, an average of roughly $1,060 per month. VURA compensated Athenian Partners from its own budget. Based on the contract terms, $35 per hour for 15 to 20 hours per month through September, then $65 per hour at roughly the same hours from October forward, VURA payments in 2025 totaled between an estimated $11,000 and $14,000.

Combined, Athenian Partners' 2025 compensation from Victor and VURA was approximately $24,000 to $27,000. That is part-time consulting income covering two administrative roles across two entities. A full-time city administrator in a comparable small Idaho municipality earns $90,000 to $130,000 in salary plus benefits. A full-time urban renewal agency executive director might earn $70,000 to $100,000.

In total across four years and three months, the City of Victor has paid Athenian Partners approximately $82,000.

The city's argument

Victor is a small city with limited staff. The city's position is that the arrangement reflects practical necessity: the mayor signed the city contracts, the VURA commission signed the VURA contract, and everyone involved in the hiring decisions knew Athenian Partners held the other agreements. The city filled thin, hard-to-recruit positions through a single experienced consultant.

The compensation figures support that account. A part-time consultant earning roughly $25,000 across two public entities is not the profile of someone structuring public contracts to generate private wealth. It is the profile of a small city stretching its budget.

Butzlaff does not vote on VURA funding decisions. The VURA commissioners retain that authority. His role is administrative: he staffs the commission and prepares materials. The city attorney and VURA's counsel both determined the arrangement does not constitute a conflict of interest under Idaho law.

Documents referenced in this report: Formal Ethics Complaint, Gregory L. Davis (March 24, 2026); email from Jeremy Besbris to Troy Butzlaff (March 27, 2026) containing draft disclosure statement; email from Jeremy Besbris to Gregory Davis (April 8, 2026) responding to complaint; Interim City Administrator Services Contract (June 30, 2021); Professional Services Agreement for Executive Director Services (July 13, 2022); Amendment No. 1 to VURA Executive Director Agreement (effective October 1, 2025); Capital and Special Projects Manager job description; City of Victor vendor payment history for Athenian Partners LLC, January 2022–March 2026.