***Monday, April 7, 2025 at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Commissioner Lester Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.
Commissioners said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Maintenance Supervisor Squire Fields entered the meeting at 8:55 a.m. to give the Maintenance report. Mr. Fields reported that the restrooms are done at Memorial Hall and they are now working on the restrooms on the first floor of the Courthouse.
Ms. Poston stated there are other projects planned for Veterans Memorial Hall and Memorial Park, but funding is still being discussed. Chairman Robertson suggested that in the future, the flags and poles at Memorial Park should be donated to the City of Bonners Ferry to eliminate confusion on ownership.
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting 9:10 a.m.
Mr. Fields continued by saying the signs that designate permitted uses on county property have arrived for the boat launches and parks. Maintenance will have them installed this week. They are also working on the no parking signs and will need towing information before those can be completed. He then presented Commissioner’s with a quote for the new courthouse parking lot and stated it included filling the potholes, raising the manholes, reseal and restripe. Commissioner Robertson stated that we are not ready for this, the remodel of the front of the building needs to happen first.
Mr. Fields also presented an estimate for the boiler system in the Courthouse. He stated that the last repairman who worked on the system said that it was missing both a water softening and CH20 system. Ms. Poston suggested putting the quotes in their budget for the next year. She also suggested getting a second opinion.
Fay Almond entered the meeting at 9:13 a.m.
Ms. Poston asked the status of the gate for the Court Clerks. Mr. Fields replied that it will be done this week, when there is a quiet day for court.
The meeting with Mr. Fields ended at 9:20 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the week of 3/31. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2025-18 Increasing the Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Due to Receipt of Unanticipated Revenue. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2025-18
INCREASING THE JUSTICE FUND SHERIFF BUDGET
DUE TO RECEIPT OF UNANTICIPATED REVENUE
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, County of Boundary, State of Idaho, did establish an operating budget for the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, Boundary County has received reimbursement in the amount of $5,950.40 from Office of Drug Policy for a Watchguard system, and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget is in need of additional revenue for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, the addition of this revenue does not affect the tax levy for Boundary County, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to increase the Boundary County Justice Fund as follows:
Revenue Account Number Expense Account Number In the Amount of
0008-00-0391-0018 0008-02-0899-0000 $5,950.40
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS RESOLVED, that the increase to the Boundary County Justice Fund Revenue Account Numbers and the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Expense Account Numbers as outlined above is hereby authorized and ordered, and
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk is instructed to deliver certified copies of this resolution to the Boundary County Treasurer and the Boundary County Auditor.
DATED this 7th day of April 2025.
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
s/_________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/______________________________
Lester Pinkerton
s/______________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/ ______
Glenda Poston, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recording Instrument #299575
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2025-19 Increasing the Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Due to Receipt of Unanticipated Revenue. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2025-19
INCREASING THE JUSTICE FUND SHERIFF BUDGET
DUE TO RECEIPT OF UNANTICIPATED REVENUE
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, County of Boundary, State of Idaho, did establish an operating budget for the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, Boundary County has received reimbursement in the amount of $42,400.00 from U.S. Department of Agriculture, and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget is in need of additional revenue for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, the addition of this revenue does not affect the tax levy for Boundary County, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to increase the Boundary County Justice Fund as follows:
Revenue Account Number Expense Account Number In the Amount of
0008-00-0330-0000 0008-02-0801-0000 $42,400.00
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS RESOLVED, that the increase to the Boundary County Justice Fund Revenue Account Numbers and the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Expense Account Numbers as outlined above is hereby authorized and ordered, and
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk is instructed to deliver certified copies of this resolution to the Boundary County Treasurer and the Boundary County Auditor.
DATED this 7th day of April 2025.
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
s/_________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/______________________________
Lester Pinkerton
s/______________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/ ______
Glenda Poston, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recording Instrument #299576
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2025-20 Increasing the Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Due to Receipt of Unanticipated Revenue. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2025-20
INCREASING THE JUSTICE FUND SHERIFF BUDGET
DUE TO RECEIPT OF UNANTICIPATED REVENUE
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, County of Boundary, State of Idaho, did establish an operating budget for the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, Boundary County has received reimbursement in the amount of $4,303.13 from ICRMP for the loss of a generator, and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget is in need of additional revenue for fiscal year 2024-2025, and
WHEREAS, the addition of this revenue does not affect the tax levy for Boundary County, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to increase the Boundary County Justice Fund as follows:
Revenue Account Number Expense Account Number In the Amount of
0008-00-0391-0000 0008-02-0899-0000 $4,303.13
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS RESOLVED, that the increase to the Boundary County Justice Fund Revenue Account Numbers and the Boundary County Justice Fund Sheriff Budget Expense Account Numbers as outlined above is hereby authorized and ordered, and
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk is instructed to deliver certified copies of this resolution to the Boundary County Treasurer and the Boundary County Auditor.
DATED this 7th day of April 2025.
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
s/_________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/______________________________
Lester Pinkerton
s/______________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/ ______
Glenda Poston, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recording Instrument #299577
Commissioner Bertling moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and reconvene as the Board of Equalization. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners reviewed the Property Tax Exemption applications received.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to approve a total of seven Property Tax Exemption applications as follows: Idaho Code 63-602B for parcel #’s RPB00000344950A, RPB00000345015A and RPB00000344881A, Idaho Code 63-602F for parcel # RP61N01E083150A, Idaho Code 63-602E for parcel #’s RPB00000226615A and RP62B02E086900 and Idaho Code 63-602C for parcel # RP63N03E323300A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to adjourn as the Board of Equalization and reconvene as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Lamberty and Ms. Almond left the meeting at 10:05 a.m.
Probation Officer Alisa Walker entered the meeting at 10:30 a.m. to give the Probation report. Ms. Walker stated that House Bill 187 passed and will become effective July 1. This will change search laws for felony paroles in the state to allow for a search at any time and also includes media devices. She stated they are in the process of preparing documentation for the paroles to sign stating they are aware of the change.
Ms. Walker also stated a probation employee is attending instructor school this week to become a certified instructor. This will provide an opportunity for certified classes to be offered in the community for training hours.
Commissioner Robertson asked how her numbers were. Ms. Walker replied they are not too bad, misdemeanors have increased but she is sending them to other areas because we do not have enough resources here.
The meeting with Ms. Walker ended at 10:57 a.m. and she left the meeting.
Solid Waste Superintendent Richard Jenkins entered the meeting at 11:00 a.m. to give the Solid Waste report. He stated that the total tonnage for March was 920 tons with a daily average of 30 tons. Total vehicle count was 10,525 which is a month over month increase of 36%. The equipment operator position is still open. Mr. Jenkins then asked Commissioners if the Landfill should be open or closed on Easter Sunday. Commissioners agreed that it could close if employees wanted to use a vacation day.
Mr. Jenkins stated that the multi-gas meter that had been ordered has been delayed due to a backorder. The monthly gas well monitoring on the #2 well had exceedance of 10.2%. Chairman Robertson asked how deep that well was. Mr. Jenkins replied that we don’t know. We will need to measure that and evaluate the depth and placement going forward. The current location or depth could be the problem.
The work has been completed by the consulting firm for the AirBurner permit and DEQ now needs to analyze their report. The engineering firm has started working on the project plan for the tarp system. Mr. Jenkins also stated that the engineers recently visited the site to gather information for the TASK orders.
Commissioner Bertling asked when the fence was supposed to go in. Mr. Jenkins answered that the engineers meet weekly with DEQ on our facility and the fencing has been moved up from the fall of 2026 to the fall of 2025.
Commissioners then discussed repairs that are needed on the D8 and how best to proceed.
Commissioners again reviewed the numbers from the recycling audit presented previously. They also discussed their conversations with the City of Bonners Ferry and Frederickson’s Garbage.
Commissioner Bertling moved to suspend portions of the recycling program that are no longer fiscally viable and send a letter to media outlets to inform the public. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Jenkins ended at 11:30 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Panhandle Health District Director Erik Ketner and Fiscal Officer Christine Crummer entered the meeting at 11:30 am.
Mr. Ketner thanked the Commissioners for taking the time to meet with them He said that jumping into the budget has been challenging because half of their funding comes from state and federal sources. Some money is pulling back but other funding sources may open. North Idaho has seen a great deal of growth in recent years and PHD has been an asset to the counties in helping manage that growth and fundamentally they are poised to be flexible with their services.
Ms. Crummer then presented PHD’s FY26 budget proposal and reviewed the information including 70% of the amount contributed by the counties shall be apportioned on the basis of population and 30% on the basis of taxable market value for assessment purposes. Ms. Crummer also said that comparing FY25 to FY26 they are proposing a 2% decrease overall. In regards to population and valuation change Boundary County is up 4% and 2% respectively. The total request was $113,290 for FY26 which is a 1% increase over the previous year.
Commissioners asked a variety of questions for clarification regarding line items in the budget. Ms. Poston asked what is being done with the opioid settlement funds. Ms. Crummer replied that they provide funding opportunities for first responder training and an opioid prevention educator. Ms. Crummer then then asked what need do you see. Chairman Robertson answered that we see people needing treatment.
Commissioner Bertling asked if the money can be used for treatment facilities for individuals on probation. We have a lack of services in the area. Ms. Crummer responded yes, there is an appendix that allows for treatment and recovery services.
Mr. Ketner stated that he expects change with this budget because there are so many unknowns.
Ms. Crummer asked if there was a need for suicide prevention programs in the county. Commissioners were not sure because they do not usually know a cause of death. Commissioner Robertson said the Coroner would be in later in the day and they would ask.
The meeting with Mr. Ketner and Ms. Crummer ended at 12:10 p.m. and they left the meeting.
The meeting adjourned for lunch at 12:14 p.m.
The Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session at 1:15 p.m.
Road & Bridge Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 1:25 p.m. to give the Road & Bridge report. Mr. Ryals stated that they wrapped up pit maintenance last week, roads are still closed for laden loads with a few that have been reopened. Weather permitting, they have done some grading. Last week they held the bid opening for the Sunrise Road project.
Mr. Ryals stated that they did not yet have the MOA for Riverside 1B, it is still being reviewed by legal. He then presented the lease contract for the excavator.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign contract #001-70176918 for a 5-year lease agreement with Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation on a 2025 Caterpillar 309 mini excavator, serial number GG902256. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Ryals discussed some issues he is having with the public arriving before 6 a.m. for assistance. He stated that this disrupts their safety meetings and he would like to set hours they are open to public similar to the courthouse so that they can conduct those meetings without disruption. Commissioners agreed to post hours for the public as 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for Road & Bridge.
Commissioner Bertling moved to go into executive session 74-206(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. This paragraph does not apply to filling a vacancy in an elective office or deliberations about staffing needs in general. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. The executive session ended at 1:52 p.m. No action taken.
The meeting ended with Mr. Ryals at 1:55 p.m. and he left the meeting.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 1:58 p.m. Ms. Barton stated that the Classification Committee recently met to reclassify four different positions. The first one being an Activities Director position at the Restorium. That position used to be a grade 6, but since the position no longer required medical certification, there was a request to have it reclassified. The position is part-time and was regraded as a 4 with a wage of $15.04. Commissioners agreed with the grading for this position.
The next position was a full-time administrative assistant position at the Sheriff’s office. The position previously included e911 and was graded a 12. The position was regraded as an 11 with a wage of $20.20 with the e911 removed. Commissioners agreed with the grading for this position.
The next position was a new position with Road & Bridge as a general labor/shop helper. The position graded as a 5 with a wage of $15.68. Commissioners agreed with the grading for this position.
The last position was a full-time position as an adult misdemeanor probation officer. The position was previously graded as a 14 but was now grading as a 12 because the mandatory four-year degree was removed. Commissioners wanted more time to review the findings on this position.
Coroner Chad Workman entered the meeting at 2:15 p.m.
The meeting with Ms. Barton ended at 2:18 p.m. and she left the meeting.
At 2:30 p.m. Shane Robinson with USDA Wildlife Services and George Hayes District 1 Animal Control Board Director for Boundary County entered the meeting. Mr. Robinson stated that it has been pretty quiet lately. There has not been a lot of coyote activity, some areas have large numbers and others are small. So far there has been no livestock kill. Bears have been getting into bee hives.
Ms. Poston asked if the amount was similar to previous. Mr. Hayes answered yes.
Chairman Robertson asked about how the rest of he state is on depredation. Mr. Robinson stated he thought they were down. Chairman Robertson asked if there was any talk of adding a position since Mr. Robinson’s territory was so large. Both Mr. Hayes and Mr. Robinson responded no.
Commissioner Pinkerton mentioned that he believes there is a pack of coyotes near a sheep farm that might be having issues. Mr. Robinson stated he has trapped in that area previously. If you hear of anything, let him know.
The meeting with Mr. Hayes and Mr. Robinson ended at 2:50 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Deputy Clerk Rebekah Jenson entered the meeting at 2:55 p.m.
At 3:00 p.m. Chairman Robertson stated that they recently pulled numbers from other counties on indigent cremation fees and were curious about the costs. As you can see the costs are higher than other counties. Mr. Workman stated that when he took over from the previous Coroner, he was told to follow his model which included his fee with a 10% discount. However, if you prefer we can make it a standardized fee and remove the daily storage rate.
Ms. Poston stated that we will have budget meetings and suggested that Mr. Workman come up with a number that includes his travel time to Sandpoint.
Commissioner Bertling stated that the other counties we are comparing to might not include storage.
Chairman Robertson stated it would be easier to budget if we had a flat amount. Mr. Workman stated that he would put something together for Commissioners to review.
Commissioners then asked Mr. Workman about suicide deaths in the County. Mr. Workman responded that there were a handful, but it usually was elderly individuals that have received a terminal diagnosis or other health issues.
The meeting with Mr. Workman ended at 3:20 p.m. and he left the meeting.
Ms. Jensen and Ms. Poston left the meeting at 3:22 p.m.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 3:29 p.m.
Commissioner Bertling 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 Pinkerton second. Commissioner’s voted as followed: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”.
At 4:08 p.m. the executive session ended. Commissioner Pinkerton moved to direct Mr. Wilson to proceed as directed. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Wilson left the meeting.
At 4:10 p.m. Solid Waste Superintendent Richard Jenkins, Assessor Olivia Drake and Treasurer Jennifer Economu entered the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to go into executive session 74-206(d) to consider records that are exempt from disclosure as provided in chapter 1, title 74, Idaho Code. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as followed: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. Executive session ended at 4:45 p.m. No action taken. Mr. Jenkins, Ms. Drake and Ms. Economu left the meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
There were no items on the agenda, therefore the Commissioners did not meet.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk