PRESS RELEASE
BONNERS FERRY – The Boundary County Board of Community Guardians was established in October of 1993 pursuant to Idaho Code Title 16, Chapter 6. Idaho Code allows for the creation of a Board of Community Guardians as a “last resort” for vulnerable people in the community who can no longer manage their own affairs and have no qualified person (i.e. family member or close friend) who is able to fulfill the role of guardian and/or conservator. This seven-to-eleven-member board is a subset of the Boundary County Commissioners and Board members are appointed by the Commissioners.
What is a guardian or a conservator you may ask? A guardian is someone appointed by the court to watch over the affairs of the vulnerable person (known as the “ward”), such as making sure the ward has clean clothes, proper food, transportation, medical care and a place to live. The guardian provides an umbrella of protection for the ward to prevent the ward being victimized or harming themselves due to inability to make sound medical decisions or other important choices. A conservator is a competent person who is appointed by the court to manage the financial affairs of the ward. A guardian and conservator may be the same person but can also be separate people.
The Boundary County Board of Community Guardians has been working quietly behind the scenes in the community for many years. Long time chairperson, Gini Woodward and other long serving board members are hoping to be able to hand over the duties and responsibilities of this service to our community to some “younger blood.” As such, Boundary County is putting out the call to solicit community members who would be interested in serving in this capacity.
The Board meets quarterly or on an as-needed basis to evaluate possible guardianship cases. Individual board members serve on a volunteer basis and should be willing to serve as a guardian and/or conservator in cases that may arise. Board members should have a clean criminal record, good organizational skills, and a desire to perform this valuable community service.
If you or someone you know may be interested in serving on the Board of Community Guardians or want more information, please reach out to the Boundary County Prosecutor’s Office at 208-267-7545 or by email at http://prosecutor@boundarycountyid.org.