***Monday, January 22, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Tim Bertling, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Ben Robertson, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
Commissioners said the Pledge of Allegiance.
9:00 a.m., Treasurer Jenny Economu joined the meeting to give a quarterly update on county accounts. Those present reviewed details of the financial report dated December 31, 2023.
Treasurer Economu said the Clerk’s Office reflects an amount of $781,335.40 in ARPA funds, but the Treasurer’s Office is still reporting an amount of $992,526.34 due to a clerical error in a resolution, so she didn’t want to move those figures yet. Clerk Poston said we should move those funds. An amended resolution will be drafted, followed by the funds being transferred into a different account.
Treasurer Economu informed Commissioners that value in the amount of $4,740,053.00 has been cancelled for a total of 66 parcels as a result of the Homeowners Exemptions being processed by the Assessor’s Office after the July deadline.
The meeting with Treasurer Economu ended at 9:11 a.m.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve minutes for December 18 and 19, 2023, and January 15 and 16, 2024. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign Lease Amendment No. Four with the Idaho Department of Corrections for Annex office space to be used by the State Probation Officer. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to grant an extension of time to pay year 2023 taxes for parcel #MH62N02E089100A and to accept the tax amount due by February 2, 2024. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign the Property Tax Cancellation Form for tax year 2023 for parcel #M361N01E227961A and cancel tax totaling $184.44 because the mobile home burned down in March 2023. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to reappoint Holly Ponti and Caleb Watts to the Waterways Advisory Board with terms to expire January 2027. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve the Findings & Decision for Planning and Zoning File 24-0026, a replat of Lot 3 and 4 North Ridge Estates, the Don & Debbie Bartling Rev. Inter Vivos Trust; Steven Mahany & Jennifer Sheridan short plat – lot line adjustment. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve the Findings and Decision for Planning and Zoning File 24-0030, a replat of Lots 1 and 2 Schrock Acres Subdivision, Paul & Kaitlyn Mast; Rock Solid Contractors; Mark & Ina Hostetler short plat – lot line adjustment. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve the Findings & Decision for Planning and Zoning File 24-0031, a replat of Lots 1 and 2 Schrock Acres Subdivision, Paul & Kaitlyn Mast, Rock Solid Contractors; Mark & Ina Hostetler short plat – lot line adjustment. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
9:58 a.m., Boundary County Ambulance Chief Jeff Lindsey joined the meeting.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and convene as Boundary County Ambulance District Governing Board. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chief Lindsey informed Commissioners that he will be heading out to pick up the remount. Boundary Ambulance was not awarded the grant they were hoping would fully fund this ambulance and he inquired if Commissioners are still open to assist with funding. Chairman Bertling said there are funds in a particular line item for the Ambulance Service District, so $100,000.00 could be put toward the amount owed. Chief Lindsey said that would be very good, since then they’ll only be financing $60,000.00. Chief Lindsey said he has a Boundary Ambulance Service board meeting today, so he will let his board know. This new unit will give Boundary Ambulance three new chassis. Chief Lindsey explained precautions taken for personnel and vehicles as a result of icy conditions.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve minutes from December 18, 2023. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to provide $100,000.00 to the Boundary County Ambulance Service District to put toward a new ambulance. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chief Lindsey left the meeting.
10:05 a.m., Commissioner Cossairt moved to adjourn as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board and reconvene as the Board of Boundary County Commissioners. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
10:30 a.m., Commissioner Robertson moved to go into executive session pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1)b, to consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public-school student. Commissioner Cossairt second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Cossairt “aye” and Commissioner Robertson “aye”. Motion passed unanimously. The executive session ended at 10:44 a.m. No action was taken.
11:00 a.m., Boundary Soil Conservation District Administrator Cassie Olson, Associate Dave Wattenbarger, Board member Chuck Roady, Bonner County Soil and Water Conservation District Administrator Sarah Garcia and Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) Conservation Team Leader Cindy Lewis joined the meeting to discuss a request for a possible boat check station. Also present was Boundary County Noxious Weeds Department Superintendent Dave Wenk, Waterways Advisory Board member/Sheriff’s Office Marine Deputy Caleb Watts, and Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Aquatic Biologist Genny Hoyle.
Ms. Olson discussed the aquatic invasive species program and how in year 2019, the ability to have a boat check station for north bound traffic was looked into. Ms. Garcia presented information on the invasive aquatic mussel species in Idaho. Ms. Garcia said Idaho has had visitors from every state in the country and every providence in Canada and she showed a map of various infested waterways. The information shows that Idaho has had boats from those areas having infestation. There is one nearby location in Montana, but that body of water is no longer listed as an at-risk water body. Ms. Garcia showed pictures of PVC pipes in Lake Mead, Nevada with the growth progression of mussels on it at two months, six months, etc. At six months the PVC pipe is pretty well clogged with one-third capacity. One mating pare of mussels can produce up to one million eggs in a season. The mussels are dormant right now.
If mussels get into one area of the Kootenai River, all of the pumps will have a quick problem and it’s not easily mitigated. Mussels can reproduce right on top of each other, die out and the shells build up. Mussels also take out base line of the fisheries ecosystem and can then affect bird habitat. It costs well over $150,000,000.00 to mitigate with inflation costs. This is not just a cost to boaters and fisherman as it also affects hydropower and food costs. Ms. Garcia explained that she works for Bonner County Water and Soil Conservation District and she has managed stations since the program’s inception. There are seven check stations in Idaho between Bonner County, Kootenai County and Shoshone County. There is a station at Samuels, Clark Fork and Albany Falls. Just under 22,000 boat inspections were done between May and September and there are 23 seasonal employees in that time frame. There is no cost to the county to run this program since it’s funded at the legislative level in Idaho with federal matching funds. The Columbia River Basin is the last waterway that doesn’t have mussels in it. There is potential for the Sheriff’s Office to partner with the State of Idaho Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to provide additional enforcement so people don’t pass the inspection stations. Bonner County has a memorandum of agreement to compensate deputies at the stations. Most boat check stations are on Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) property. You can also partner with ITD and the Army Corps of Engineers to secure a location and a building. One big issue with the Samuels station is that they cannot check north bound traffic due to it being a safety hazard with too many near misses.
Ms. Olson said at the Montana line station they’re not checking traffic coming into Idaho. Chairman Bertling replied that he had been checked going both ways when going to Libby, but it’s been a couple of years. Ms. Lewis said the stations are no longer checking westbound traffic and Ms. Olson added that this has only come up in the last few days. The Three Mile area would be a great location for a station, according to Ms. Olson.
Mr. Wenk commented that he is not just concerned about Quagga or Zebra mussels, but he’s also concerned about aquatic weeds. The Kootenai River has had a few weeds, but we’ve had roving inspectors out and they have not found weeds lately. There are weeds in Bonner County and if we get boaters from Bonner County here, we will get these weeds. It was said that the check stations also check boats, trailers and kayaks for weeds, in addition to mussels. Ms. Hoyle said she doesn’t remember how many letters she’s written, but we’ve had this conservation in year 2019 to ask the ISDA to check north bound traffic. The Kootenai Tribe also concerned that mussels have been found in the Snake River. Ms. Hoyle said when she goes to the Canadian Border their agents check boats coming into Canada. Ms. Hoyle added that the Kootenai Tribe stated they would be open to having a station on Tribal property and there will be a stop light into the Sturgeon Station in the future. If we have a roving inspector here, that would be addressed and the Tribe is open to having the station on its property. The chain up area south of Peterson Hill was mentioned and Ms. Hoyle said ITD wouldn’t allow this area due to not having safe ingress and egress, and they quit pursing it because the check station started checking north bound traffic, but here we are again. Mr. Wenk suggested talking to local ITD Road Foreman George Shutes again about a location. Ms. Garcia said ITD is a major part of where the locations are. Commissioner Robertson questioned the possibility of using the locked area of the state yard as a location and he added that he supports doing something as it just makes sense. Ms. Olson said having support letters from Commissioners is an important first step for the ISDA. Ms. Olson spoke of pushing the educational component of this program. Mr. Wenk said there had been pushback with ISDA, but he encouraged Commissioners not to stop at a certain level of the ISDA. Getting a letter of support from the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative was suggested as well.
Mr. Watts said the Waterways Advisory Board also visited this issue in the spring, but got detoured a bit because of the ISDA. Mr. Watts provided an example of effects to one river when 16 miles of it was destroyed due to how it had to be treated, which killed everything in the water. Ms. Hoyle said it’s killing an entire ecosystem from the border to the river. Mr. Watts added that if we’re not doing what we should and the issue gets here, shame on us. Mr. Watts spoke of the biology of the river and of the impacts to business, stating it will really hurt the county. The Waterways Board is behind this 100%. Letters directly to the ISDA with a cc to Ms. Olson was encouraged. Ms. Garcia said the legislature is on board and understands the impacts. Mr. Wenk suggested including Representative Mark Sauter as well.
Commissioner Robertson moved to sign a letter of support to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture for a boat check station. Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting ended at 11:33 a.m.
11:37 a.m., Commissioner Robertson moved to go into executive session pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1)a, to consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, wherein the respective qualities of individuals are to be evaluated in order to fill a particular vacancy or need; and Idaho Code 74-206(1)b, to consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public-school student. Commissioner Cossairt second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Cossairt “aye” and Commissioner Robertson “aye”. Motion passed unanimously. The executive session ended at 12:15 p.m. No action was taken.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 12:15 p.m.
1:30 p.m., Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session with Chairman Tim Bertling, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Ben Robertson, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
1:30 p.m., Road and Bridge Department Co-Superintendents Renee Nelson and Randy Morris, Road and Bridge Administrative Assistant Shelby Hooper, and Boundary Economic Development Council (EDC) Director David Sims joined the meeting.
Mr. Morris provided a written Road and Bridge Department report and reviewed work being done. Those present discussed Smith Lake Road.
Ms. Nelson discussed funding applications available, not just for improving the Naples Bridge, but also for the surrounding Naples area. Ms. Nelson had a conference call with the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC) since there are two grant opportunities available. One is the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) planning grant, which has no match, but it does have criteria to meet. There is also the Federal Bridge Investment Program and the Naples location does meet the lender’s criteria. Bill Roberson had been the Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD) transportation planner until he retired, but he can help with these applications. Mr. Sims said the RAISE grant is nice since there is no match required, but there is scoring criteria. This grant will be a challenge due to bicycle/pedestrian being a major part of the project and even the safety portion might be challenging. There are eight criteria and much of it is really focused on a transit or bike/pedestrian component.
The Federal Bridge Investment Program does all planning on any federal aid routes or adjacent routes that house a bridge. Deep Creek Loop is a federal aid route and it does have a bridge. School House Road is also now considered a major collector. Ms. Nelson said she would need to know what the cost would look like and she explained the proposed project. Grant match would not be due for another 12 to 18 months, so approximately April 2025. Ms. Nelson explained project costs and she said at minimum grant match is $50,000.00 with a $250,000.00 design project. The application would be due February 19th. Because it’s a planning grant, it doesn’t make it federalized. Ms. Nelson said her biggest concern is needing a planning design that will put everything together, even if it’s a new Naples Bridge. School House Road still needs to be completed and ITD needs to do turn lanes, but we need something to connect the south end of the State’s bridge and this planning grant could take that in. Ms. Nelson said if she submitted a Federal Highways application, the county would need to commit $50,000.00 for a $250,000.00 planning cost. One benefit is it also includes researching railroad rail road right-of-way matters. Chairman Bertling spoke of being proactive and Mr. Morris added that something needs to be done at some point. Chairman Bertling said he is fine moving forward with a grant program.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to apply for the Federal Bridge Investment Planning application. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Those present discussed getting support letters for this grant application.
Commissioner Robertson questioned if the county did apply for the RAISE grant, which has no match, can the county use those funds for another construction grant somewhere else? Mr. Sims said the same criteria would be used, so he’s not sure if a project would qualify. Ms. Nelson and Mr. Sims mentioned looking into both grants.
Commissioner Robertson moved to request letters of support for the Federal Bridge Investment Program Grant application. Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Nelson discussed the snow plow turnaround area on Trail Creek Road and she said it was full of snowmobile trailers, so Road and Bridge is going to put up no parking signs there. There are no parking signs at the Gold Road turnaround area since this spot can become concerning. Commissioners suggested informing the Sheriff’s Office of this issue as well. Somehow Road and Bridge trucks need to be able to turn around. Ms. Nelson questioned methods of notification to get the word out.
Ms. Nelson discussed updates to Title VI with Commissioners and she informed them of a webinar training to be hosted by ITD since there is a lot of new information. Any federal, state, or local governing body falls under Title VI and Boundary County is also a federal aid recipient. Ms. Nelson stressed that the Title VI coordinator should not be just one person, but should be a coordinator and assistant. One requirement is to follow a new organizational structure chart for Title VI compliance. As a coordinator, in the past Ms. Nelson said she just had to instruct what county personal were to do. ITD now wants more in depth staff training. Ms. Nelson listed concerns and discussed points pertaining to enforcement, training, veteran’s preference, preferred languages, organizational structure chart, procedures, and limited English proficiency.
Ms. Hooper and Ms. Nelson proposed creating a Facebook page in order to provide information to the public on various road related matters. An example given was public notices pertaining to the warmer weather and challenges to roads. Having this type of information on Facebook may help the public in knowing about possible road projects, delays, etc. Commissioner Robertson said he is in favor of it.
The meeting ended at 3:26 p.m.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign the Certificate of Residency for Jordyn Wilkinson. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to grant an extension of time to pay year 2023 taxes for parcel #MH65N02E295561A and to accept the tax amount due by February 9, 2024. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to grant an extension of time to pay year 2023 taxes for parcel #MH62N01E255710A and to accept the tax amount due by January 31, 2024. Commissioner Robertson second. Motion passed unanimously.
4:17 p.m., There being no further business, the meeting recessed until tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
***Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session at the County Annex with Chairman Tim Bertling, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Ben Robertson, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
9:00 a.m., Commissioners held an elected officials/department heads meeting. Present were: Chairman Tim Bertling, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Ben Robertson, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser, Restorium Administrator Janay Smith, Solid Waste Department Superintendent Richard Jenkins, University of Idaho Extension Educator Amy Robertson, IT Director Matt Hodges, Noxious Weeds Department Superintendent Dave Wenk, Treasurer Jenny Economu, Assessor Olivia Drake, Chief Probation Officer Alisa Walker, Veterans Service Officer Brooke Blagrove, Chief Deputy Clerk/Personnel Director Pam Barton, Courthouse Maintenance Squire Fields, Road and Bridge Department Co-Superintendent Renee Nelson and Administrative Assistant Shelby Hooper, Assistant Restorium Administrator Diana Lane, Emergency Manager Andrew O’Neel, and Undersheriff Rich Stephens.
Commissioners went around the room for department updates.
Ms. Hooper and Ms. Nelson updated those present on Title VI changes and what is required in various documents, such as bid documents, independent contract agreements, job applications, and language translation services. ITD is hosting a training webinar on Title VI and Ms. Hooper will send out information on the date and time.
The elected officials/department heads meeting ended at 9:45 a.m.
9:50 a.m., Ms. Nelson explained the agreement pertaining for Shilo Bridge replacement that requires a signature from Commissioners. There will be permits to be done with Burlington Northern Railroad that are to be administered by the Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC).
Commissioner Robertson moved to sign the LHTAC/Local Agreement Leading Idaho Bridge Program Bridge KN30300 (Shilo Bridge over Wilderness Road). Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Nelson discussed the quote for right-of-way acquisition negotiations for the School House Road Improvement Project (Key No. 21982) and the Naples Elementary School Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project (Key No. 23910). Ms. Nelson explained that the fee applies to five parcels and all compensation reviews, escrow costs, etc.
Commissioner Robertson moved to accept the quote from Contract Land Staff for scope and fee of right-of-way acquisition negotiation services for the School House Road Improvement Project (Key No. 21982) and the Naples Elementary School Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project (Key No. 23910). Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:20 a.m.