Office of the Mayor
The City of Rexburg has a strong-mayor or council form of government. With a strong-mayor, our local government consists of a city council and the mayor as the legislative branch. The mayor is given administrative authority and the responsibility to oversee all department heads.
Jerry Merrill Background
Jerry was born in Blackfoot Idaho the eighth child born to Clifford and Rowena Murdock Merrill. He grew up on a small farm in Moreland, Idaho just west of Blackfoot. He graduated from Snake River High School in 1975. After attending Ricks College for one year he left to serve an LDS mission in Japan. After returning from his mission, he spent one semester at BYU in Provo. That’s where Marianne Patrick was attending school. After winning her heart, he came back to Ricks College to enroll in the Landscape Horticulture Program. He and Marianne were married in April 1979. They are the parents of four children. He completed his degree at Ricks College and had an opportunity to take over some landscape jobs that a former employer needed to be completed. From that work, Jerry ended up starting his own landscaping business. From owning and running his business Jerry has gained a great understanding of budgeting, working hard, staying on the job until it is completed, communicating with employees and customers, as well as looking at both sides of an issue, and finding common ground to build on.
Jerry has been involved in serving in the community for close to 40 years. He has been a member of the Kiwanis Service Club serving as President twice, Lt Governor for the SE Idaho District and serving over 20 years as a board member. He has been involved in Professional Associations serving as a board member as well as President in the Idaho Nursery Association. In 2011, Jerry was elected to the Rexburg City Council. He has served as the liaison to the Parks and Recreation Board and the Madison School Board. He has been a member of the Board of Urban Renewal, Traffic and Safety Committee and the Budget Oversight Committee. Jerry loves the youth of our community. He served as Scoutmaster for 9 years and is the owner and driver of the Bobcat Spirit Bus.
About Mayor Merrill
Jerry was first elected Mayor of Rexburg in November of 2015 and has held the office ever since. He first took office in January of 2016 and was more recently re-elected in November of 2023. He meets regularly with City department heads and enjoys a close working relationship with them. He also supports and works with several community entities. As mayor, he serves on the boards of The Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce, Regional Economic Development of Idaho, and Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership.