***Monday, March 18, 2019, at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
County resident Marty Martinez and Blue Sky Broadcasting News Reporter Mike Brown were in attendance of the meetings off and on throughout the day.
9:00 a.m., Road and Bridge Department Superintendent Clint Kimball joined the meeting to give the departmental report. A written report was provided. Mr. Kimball spoke of getting jersey walls up at Ruby Creek Bridge #2 and he’s waiting for the State to come up to do an inspection so he can take the load limit signs down. Roads are now posted for spring break up limits. Road and Bridge is taking a wing off a grader today and they got another grader out on Westside Road to push the berms back. Mr. Kimball said he’s monitoring ice dams on Deep Creek Loop. Mr. Kimball informed Commissioners that he and Road and Bridge Foreman Randy Morris will attend the AWR-118 Awareness and Response to Biological Events Class on March 21, 2019.
The meeting with Mr. Kimball ended at 9:07 a.m.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign Certificates of Residency for Jillian Robbins, Mercedes Hill, Elisa Balcaen, Allie Weerts, Leilani Ram, and Ethan Hubbard. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign the letter of support for the City of Bonners Ferry for the Riverside Road Improvement (FLAP) project. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Kimball ended at 9:25 a.m.
Airport Manager Dave Parker joined the meeting at 9:28 a.m.
Mr. Parker presented Commissioners with Airport Board minutes that contain a recommendation for the appointment and reappointment of board members.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to appoint Caleb Davis to the Airport Board with a term to expire February 2022. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to appoint Rick Durden to the Airport Board with a term to expire February 2023. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to reappoint Jay Wages to the Airport Board with a term to expire February 2022. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to reappoint Don Jordan to the Airport Board with a term to expire February 2022. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Those present discussed the need to change the type of snow removal equipment the airport is trying to obtain from a truck with a plow to a loader. Mr. Parker informed Commissioners that he has reached out to various dealers.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to amend the purchase request for snow removal equipment for a loader instead of a truck. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Parker left the meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Commissioners canvassed ballots from the election held on March 12, 2019 for the school bond levy. Clerk Poston informed Commissioners that there were some ballots cast that were absent of a mark.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve the ballots from the election results for the Boundary County School District Maintenance and Operation Levy election held in year 2019. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
County Civil Attorney Tevis Hull contacted Commissioners via telephone to provide updates on various documents he’s working on.
9:40 a.m., Commissioner Kirby moved to go into executive session pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206(1)c, to acquire an interest in real property which is not owned by a public agency, and Idaho Code 74-206(1)f, to communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated concerning a real estate transaction. Commissioner Cossairt second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Dinning “aye”, Commissioner Cossairt “aye” and Commissioner Kirby “aye”. Motion passed unanimously. The executive session ended at 9:50 a.m. No action was taken.
The call to Attorney Hull ended at 9:50 a.m.
10:00 a.m., Boundary Ambulance Service Chief Jeff Lindsey joined the meeting.
Commissioner Kirby moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and to convene as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board. Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Kirby moved to approve the minutes of the Boundary Ambulance Service from the meeting of February 25, 2019. Commissioner Cossairt second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Dinning informed Chief Lindsey that more than likely the land purchase they had previously discussed may not occur, but other options are being reviewed. Chief Lindsey provided Commissioners with a drawing of what Boundary Ambulance Service proposes for staff and vehicle quarters. Chief Lindsey said based on the diagram, a portable building would not be needed. Chief Lindsey added that he could potentially have made the existing building on the Felsted property work, but if we’re looking at a 20 year or more plan, it probably wouldn’t work. It was said the plan just submitted could be adjusted.
Chief Lindsey relayed the number of calls as compared to last year and said as for January there were less calls this year than the last year.
Chief Lindsey left the meeting.
10:11 a.m., Commissioner Cossairt moved to adjourn as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board and to reconvene as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners tended to administrative duties.
10:24 a.m., Kootenai Tribe of Idaho Administrative Director Rhonda Vogl joined the meeting to provide an update on matters pertaining to the Kootenai Valley Resource Initiative (KVRI). Ms. Vogl presented an agenda for this evening’s KVRI meeting and she reviewed topics to be discussed.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to authorize the Chairman to sign the letter of support for KVRI on behalf of Boundary County for the Riverside Improvement Project. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Bonners Ferry District Forest Ranger Kevin Knauth joined the meeting at 10:31 a.m.
Mr. Knauth said the decision notice for the Camp Robin project was signed by Forest Supervisor Jeanne Higgins and he explained the process that was involved. Objection points made by the Alliance for the Wild Rockies were reviewed and no merit was found so they can move forward. Chairman Dinning said objectors tend to object on just about everything and the large amount of time spent on the conclusion is just what Mr. Knauth is speaking about. The amount of staff hours that have to go into this process at the Forest Service level over the course of years would be a very large amount of hours. Chairman Dinning questioned how we can actually capture that amount of hours so our Congressional delegation understand this issue as it becomes about wasting time for serial objectors. Normally objections are based on the comments from the draft environmental analysis (EA). This is a different method and it was probably two weeks of time for primarily three people. Most objections pertain to hydrology and wildlife, according to Mr. Knauth.
Mr. Knauth said the Forest Service is also looking at logging, but all roads are closed so they will look at the Forest Service road system and needing to barricade roads due to thawing.
Over snow vehicle travel management is continuing. Bog Creek is in the objection period until April 2nd and Mr. Knauth does have more hard copies of the final environmental impact statement and draft records of decision pertaining to Bog Creek now.
Mr. Knauth brought up the Forest Service’s Five Year Action Plan and he said he’s looking for meeting dates and he briefly mentioned what local change or changes may occur. This was not scheduled for work until next year, but the Forest Service will bring it forward this year, according to Mr. Knauth. Chairman Dinning spoke of the new farm bill in relation to a Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) sale and how it will be handled with the State of Idaho. Mr. Knauth said the previous farm bill allowed funds for work and pay for their employees specifically assigned to GNA work. This new farm bill is somewhat vague and the Forest Service needs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide word on how the Forest Service interprets this language and what it means to the Forest Service so they’ve been asked not to speculate. Mr. Knauth said he put together a proposal using GNA in order to put money together for zone and road maintenance every year.
The meeting with Ms. Vogl and Mr. Knauth ended at 10:55 a.m.
County resident and Three Mile Water District Board Chairman Doug Higgins and Treasurer Sue Larson joined the meeting at 10:58 a.m.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve and sign the Property Tax Cancellation form for parcel #RP64N02E144190A and to cancel $959.38 in deferred tax for tax year 2018 as the deferred tax was generated because of an ownership change and the property went into a limited liability corporation with the same owner. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to adopt Resolution 2019-10. A resolution authorizing the disposition of records of the Boundary County Treasurer’s Office. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously. Resolution 2019-10 reads as follows:
RESOLUTION 2019-10
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE DISPOSITION OF RECORDS
OF BOUNDARY COUNTY TREASURER’S OFFICE
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Treasurer’s Office is currently storing old records of Boundary County; and
WHEREAS, due to lack of storage space, the Boundary County Treasurer’s Office has requested permission to dispose of old records; and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has advise the Board of Boundary County Commissioners regarding the classification of such records pursuant to Idaho Code 31-871; and
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED, that the following records be classified and disposed of as follows:
The following records have been deemed permanent by the Boundary County Commissioners on the advice of the County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and permanent records must be kept for a minimum of ten years. The following records are to be disposed of in the county landfill:
Permanent:
Tax Drive Reports 2006, 2008
Specials Assessments 2007
Yield Bills 2006
Yield Monthly Reports/Charges 2006
Yield Monthly Reports/Charges 9/2007-12/2008
Deferred Bills 3/2006-11/2007
Deferred Monthly Reports/Charges 12/2005-11/2007
Assessor Abstract Reports 2006-2008
SubRoll Tax Drive Reports 2006-2008
Utilities Reports 2006-2007
Prelim Circuit Breaker 2006
2006 Taxes Monthly Reports/Charges10/2006-12/2006
2007 Taxes Monthly Reports/Charges 10/2007-7/2008
Circuit Breaker 2007-2008
Auditor Certificates 12/2006 – 11/2008
Auditor Certificate Deposits 10/2006-10/2007
Auditor Certificate Deposits 10/2008-12/2008
Journal Vouchers 10/2006 – 09/2007
Journal Vouchers 5/2008-9/2008
Redeemed Warrants Reports 9/2006 – 1/2008
Tax Cancellations 2006-2008
The following records have been deemed semi-permanent by the Boundary County Commissioners on the advice of the County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and semi-permanent records must be kept for a minimum of five years. The following records are to be disposed of in the county landfill:
Semi-Permanent:
Municipay duplicate receipts/reports 12/2011 – 09/2012
CMI Daily Statements Panhandle State Bank 11/2008 – 9/2010
CMI Daily Statements Wells Fargo 2/2010-9/2011
Daily Deposit Listings 6/2012-3/2013
Deposit Books 3/2011 – 10/2012
Tax Bills Returned for Address Corrections 2011-2012
Daily Cash Journal 12/2012 – 11/2013
Tax Anticipation Reports 10/2011 – 9/2013
CMI Daily Reports Panhandle State 1/2013 – 12/2013
Mortgage Co Correspondence & Receipts 2011-2012
The following records have been deemed temporary two years by the Boundary County Commissioners on the advice of the County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and must be kept for a minimum of two years. The following records are to be disposed of in the county landfill:
Bank List of Daily Redeemed Warrants 1/2008-12/2009
Bank List of Daily Redeemed Warrants 10/2010 – 9/2011
Bank List of Daily Redeemed Warrants 10/2012 – 12/2017
Regularly passed and approved on this 18th Day of March, 2019.
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
s/___________________________
DAN DINNING, Chairman
s/____________________________
WALLY COSSAIRT, Commissioner
s/____________________________
WALT KIRBY, Commissioner
Reviewed by and on advice of Prosecuting Attorney this 3rd Day of March, 2019.
s/______________________________
JACK R. DOUGLAS
Prosecuting Attorney
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________________
GLENDA POSTON
Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recorded as instrument #277220
11:04 a.m., Commissioners held a meeting to consider the Application for Hardship Exemption for Henry and Karen Watkins for parcel # RP64N01E068411A. Present were Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser, and Treasurer Sue Larson. The meeting was recorded.
Commissioners gave the oath to Ms. Watkins. Ms. Watkins informed Commissioners that her spouse became disabled some time ago and they are now requesting a hardship exemption for year 2015 taxes. Commissioners reviewed annual and monthly income information as well as monthly expenses. Chairman Dinning said Commissioners will consider canceling $297.40 in tax, $137 in specials, $9.87 in late fees, and $6.67 in costs for a total of $450.91. Treasurer Larson stated that the county cannot cancel Idaho Department of Lands fees totaling $57.50 for fire protection and Ms. Watkins said she could pay that fee as soon as possible.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to grant the Application for Hardship Exemption for Henry and Karen Watkins and to cancel tax, specials, late fees, and costs totaling $450.91, plus interest for tax year 2015 for parcel #RP64N01E068411A due to hardship. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting to consider the hardship application ended at 11:07 a.m.
Treasurer Larson left the meeting at 11:11 a.m.
11:21 a.m., Boundary Economic Development Director Dennis Weed joined the meeting.
11:30 a.m., Commissioners participated in a conference call with Bond Attorney Laura McAloon to discuss the regional sewer feasibility study. Present were: Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser, Boundary Economic Development Director Dennis Weed, and Three Mile Water District Board Chairman Doug Higgins.
Commissioners said this call is the result of the meeting with the Moyie Springs City Council members and the purpose is to understand bonding, timelines, etc. Ms. McAloon said her company is McAloon Law and she has been doing bond work for 16 years. Ms. McAloon said the Moyie Springs City Council is under a compliance order and they’re going to hold a bond election. Chairman Dinning said depending on the county’s project, we’re looking at connecting a system to the Moyie Springs treatment facility and running it four miles or so west in order to connect to that area for sewer. It’s generally to the Three Mile area where there is a lot of commercial businesses, but no sewer system. The cost for that is going to be approximately $9,000,000, including Moyie Springs’s portion. The engineering firm providing the estimates is Kyle Meschko with Keller Associates.
The bond election process was discussed and Ms. McAloon said the county cannot issue any debt without the approval from voters. For a sewer collection system you can use a bond to finance capital improvements and that debt is almost always secured by a revenue bond. The fee that users are charged provide those source of funds to make the payments. The rate would have to be adjusted to an amount that would make the service payment. Ms. McAloon said a savings-type account could also be set up so if there is a shortfall and not enough money from the fee rates, that reserve account could be dipped into. A bond is likened to a deed of trust on a house. You have a mortgage and also a deed of trust, which is a security for that mortgage, according to Ms. McAloon. This reflects the obligation to pay in addition to the loan contract. That is all a bond is. It demonstrates that the county borrowed money listing the principal amount, interest rate, etc. Ms. McAloon said the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has a 30 year repayment period and the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) keeps their repayment period at 40 years. Mr. Weed said he thought DEQ switched to a 40 year period and Ms. McAloon said they may have, but her recommended language is that the term would be up to 40 years in the election verbiage to voters. She recommended the same thing with the principal amount as the amount of $9,000,000 is an estimate. In reality if you have an election in November, you would likely go out to bid the following spring in the usual process, but with a May election, that is not always the case and it may be a year before getting into the bid cycle. Those are just some of the different considerations. Ms. McAloon said you can hold a bond election in May or November, but some bond councils think the November time is not a good time. Ms. McAloon said she hasn’t seen many bond elections fail, but when they have failed, it has been due to lack of information and explanation put out to the public. The county also needs to provide a very clear explanation as to what needs to be done and why voters tend to vote no. The number for a bond election to pass is 50% plus 1. Chairman Dinning said Commissioners would need to form a district to inform voters who gets to vote. Commissioners questioned how to identify who gets to vote. Ms. McAloon said if Commissioners want to narrow down votes to the area served by the improvement, then yes, they do need to create a district to set up boundaries for that or do the whole county for a general bond election. A revenue bond does not go on a tax roll, according to Ms. McAloon. Revenue bonds are paid by revenue from the sewer system so monthly bills would be sent out to people connected to the system for the cost of running and operating it. The engineer will generally come up with the rates.
Mr. Higgins said if a district is formed and the people within that district vote on the bond, do you have to be a resident in that district or just own property while not residing there. Ms. McAloon said you are supposed to vote where your primary residence is. If it’s a vacation home or just land in the district, it’s not where the property owner is registered to vote, and besides a property owner, it’s also people who rent. Mr. Higgins said there are a number of business owners who don’t reside in the area to be considered, but they have businesses there. Ms. McAloon reiterated that you have to reside in that district in order to be a registered voter for it. The county may want to look into forming a local improvement district (LID) that would set the boundary and decide who is within it. Commissioners would form the LID as it is not done by election, but there is the ability for property owners who don’t agree to challenge that in court and they have 30 days in which to challenge. Ms. McAloon said she has only seen that happen when there really hadn’t been good information provided. LID assessments do get collected on the tax rolls, the county provides the funds and the district pays the amount due.
Mr. Weed said if we have a district and it consists of mostly businesses, is there a minimum number of voters that could challenge. Such as if you only have two voters who lived in the district, is there any case law that would say that it’s not a justifiable election. Ms. McAloon said no, even if the district had one voter, it would be a valid election. Chairman Dinning said Commissioners have a conference call scheduled this afternoon to talk about an urban renewal district (URD) so they will be gathering new information. Chairman Dinning asked Ms. McAloon if she has been involved with a combination of the two in a similar situation. Ms. McAloon said a URD is just another governmental entity gathering assessments. You use those increases and you still issue the bond, but you use funds from the URD to repay the debt. Ms. McAloon said she believes this is similar to the LID process. The area for collection is within the Three Mile Water District. Ms. McAloon said most water districts can also provide sewer systems so if they encompass all of the areas, they might be the entity who owns the project and issues a bond. That is another route. Ms. McAloon said she would find out what type of district the Three Mile Water District is. Ms. McAloon spoke of elections and how there are types of water districts in which the county election office does not hold the elections for these types of districts.
The boundary of the Three Mile Water District is huge as compared to what the county is looking at so in looking at repayment, it probably wouldn’t be met with favoritism. The sewer system could be built and a contract entered into with the City of Moyie Springs or Three Mile Water District to operate it. Chairman Dinning said using the worst case scenario, if the system is built and installed and then the debt service cannot be met, what happens then? Ms. McAloon said it’s just like someone who can’t make mortgage payment, it’s a default. It’s very rare, though. It would be a default on a revenue bond. Rates for the users of the system would need to increase. The tax payers are not the entity on the hook and the bond holder doesn’t have the authority to go after anyone else. The only money pledged to pay for the debt is the money from the sewer district so you cannot use other tax payments or utility funds if the service payment cannot be made. Some governments have declared bankruptcy as they couldn’t make the service payments. Commissioners asked who ends up owning the system and Ms. McAloon said in those cases, the city in that scenario hired a receiver to look into generating enough money to pay that debt. Mr. Higgins questioned if the water district is required to increase water fees to help pay for the sewer if the water district agrees to take on the system. Ms. McAloon said no, not unless they become combined utilities. Ms. McAloon said you can keep those separate and it won’t affect water users as long as users for the sewer pay that debt. It’s not difficult to keep the utilities separate as they are just separate funds in the budget and asset accounts.
Chairman Dinning said if a district is not formed, but the Three Mile Water District took this over and pledged the users’ money to pay it back, it keeps it separated? Ms. McAloon said yes. Ms. McAloon said if Commissioners are thinking about a November election, they should sit down with an engineer and civil counsel to make sure they’ve mapped out steps to have accomplished to create ballot questions in time for the election, provide information, etc. Chairman Dinning said it could be a year out before it would get to that.
Commissioner Kirby spoke of not wanting to be the entity that operates the system and wanting to contract with the water district. If the county were to contract with the water district for the sewer system, the county is still responsible to oversee it. Ms. McAloon said she thinks the county would be eligible for financing at 2% through DEQ’s program. USDA’s rates are 3% to 3.5%, depending on requested information. There is a deadline in which the local government needs to give the Clerk the ballot language. Commissioner Cossairt said when the system is done, people will slowly hook on and he questioned how you make the payment with limited people. Ms. McAloon said usually the payment is due one year after and it can consist of a June and December payment.
The call with Ms. McAloon ended at 12:15 p.m.
Those present discussed information learned about the bond program. Chairman Dinning said in looking at the options, he believes if the Three Mile Water District wants to be involved, it would need to be through urban renewal or bonding of some form along those lines that would keep this sewer system separate from the water service. In thinking about Boundary County, we can create a URD, but it comes back to maintaining the system, unless Three Mile joins in the URD. Mr. Higgins said his viewpoint is that there is an advantage to having the Three Mile Water District involved or take the system over. The disadvantage is taking on more debt.
The meeting ended at 12:33 p.m.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 12:33 P.M.
1:34 p.m., Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session with Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
1:34 p.m., Three Mile Water District Board Chairman Doug Higgins, Boundary Economic Development Director Dennis Weed, and Treasurer Sue Larson joined the meeting.
Commissioner Cossairt motion to grant an extension of time to pay year 2018 taxes for parcel #MHM0740002006DA and to accept the tax amount due by March 15, 2019. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to grant an extension of time to pay year 2015 taxes for parcel #RP65N02E264490A and to accept the tax amount due by April 5, 2019. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
1:40 p.m., Commissioners participated in a conference call with John Austin with Panhandle Area Council (PAC) to discuss urban renewal districts. It was said only the county can apply for a URD; not the water district. No other county has done it as the city gets all of the increment for up to 20 years, including county’s and highway district’s shares. Shoshone County tried, but it failed to get enough votes to create the agency. The real advantage to a county is to finance upper capital projects without the vote of the people. Another advantage for the city is to create a district for up to 20 years, hire an agency to administer it and the money from that base rolls to that agency. When the URD expires then that money is released to that original government. Chairman Dinning said if we defined an area for a URD, when you say base that is the existing values within that base. Anything that comes from that URD, that value would collect taxes which would be assigned to pay for, in our case the sewer system, until it’s paid off, up to 20 years. If the county forms a sewer district, we’re looking at a $9,000,000 project and the county may receive loan forgiveness, etc., but is that forgiveness with a URD? Mr. Austin said if the county had a URD, it would have to go to a vote of people. Chairman Dinning said for clarification, a URD in our case is to put in a sewer and the county could still apply to the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for financing. Mr. Austin said yes, the financing source is not limited to a city or district, etc. Typically we’ve gone outside for URDs. The real advantage to doing a URD is that the agency’s board of directors can incur the debt without a vote of anyone.
Mr. Weed questioned going to the people in the county for a vote on a URD or can Commissioners just set up the district without a vote. Mr. Austin said up to eight years ago, you could’ve just formed the agency, which is appointed by the elected officials of the jurisdiction. To create an agency now requires a vote of residents of the county and it’s just a 50% plus 1 approval. Once the agency is authorized by the voters, a district can be created without a vote.
Mr. Weed said if the agency was voted in, there wouldn’t be a separate bond vote for the sewer once the agency is formed. Mr. Austin said once the agency is formed, it is formed for as long as there is a county. The entire county would vote to establish the agency and once it’s established, it’s there forever until it’s dissolved. Mr. Austin said the best thing is to go to the people of the county and say the best thing for economic revitalization is for the county to look at forming an agency and not make it specific to any project. Mr. Weed said once that agency is created, they could take on any type of project. Mr. Austin said as long as the URD doesn’t exceed 10% of the county’s value, you are good to go. Chairman Dinning said in backing up to understand this, the entire county votes on creating the agency, the agency determines where the district boundary would be for calculations for repayment and the agency also goes forward with doing the project. Mr. Austin said once the agency is appointed they’re an independent group, such as a Planning and Zoning Commission for the county. County Commissioners would still control the agency’s creation and Commissioners would form the district at the request of the agency. Chairman Dinning asked what the downside is in forming a URD. Mr. Austin said there are always the anti-URD people and their concern is elected officials spending money. Mr. Austin said when you create that first district, they have to define a very specific list of projects. It’s better that people realize Commissioners are still making a decision on where their dollars are spent, etc. The county can be unhappy as tax dollars can go to the agency as opposed to the county. Mr. Weed said he can see people being upset. A majority of the district is in the Three Mile area. Three Mile Water District gets the benefit of that, but what about Cabinet Mountain Water and Paradise Valley Water Districts? The county would have to be careful what it does.
Chairman Dinning asked what the process is to form the agency. Mr. Austin said the vote can be in the May and November elections. Then the process would be to appoint the agency consisting of three to nine members. The first year the Commissioners themselves can be the entire agency, then they can appoint new members. As they develop plans for projects there will be a lot of public input and falling in line with the Planning and Zoning Commission.
It was said that Boundary County and the agency do not want to run or maintain the sewer line. It will be a regional system that takes advantage of the Moyie Springs treatment facility. Commissioners asked, could the agency go about giving that responsibility to the water district in that area or what has occurred elsewhere? Mr. Austin said typically it’s governed by the appointed agency and not subjected to another board of directors, although you could probably enter into an intergovernmental agency agreement. Chairman Dinning said the water district provides water to what would be the entire district. The only thing the county is worried about is who is going to maintain the sewer lines. Mr. Austin said that makes sense and an interagency agreement could say the county makes the payment to the water district and the city for those functions. Adding that he doesn’t see a problem with that.
Commissioner Kirby said he’s heard a lot of good ideas, but there are still a lot of questions that will arise.
The call to Mr. Austin ended at 2:13 p.m.
Mr. Weed said you could take $200,000 to pay off the sewer quicker or as money comes in. If Three Mile Water District wants to upgrade, they could also be a part of that while paying off both water and sewer bonds and keep the rate down for the user. Clerk Poston said if we talk about water and sewer, we can run different URDs and it reallocates money to different agencies, but Commissioners also need to consider other areas such as needing revenue, Road and Bridge, etc. Clerk Poston added that she’s not saying it’s not a good idea. Chairman Dinning said these districts can be created anywhere in the county once it’s passed so if Cabinet Mountain Water District needed help, a district could be created to help them so something can be done. We could collect $150,000 more per year on this project and apply it to where it decreases debt, etc. We are also going to look into lower DEQ loan rates and maybe loan forgiveness. Mr. Weed mentioned taking in the Naples area. Commissioners have to be careful as the county general fund will take a hit. Mr. Weed said we really have to think this through. We don’t want residents to be upset because the advantages are heading north of town. Chairman Dinning said in this case, specifically to sewer, we have a treatment facility going in at Moyie Springs and they are paying for it. If this were anywhere else, we would have to build it on our own. Commissioners are just gathering information and Chairman Dinning said he wants to hear all the pros and cons. Chairman Dinning said if, by chance, DEQ says costs can go down to $600,000 due to loan forgiveness, we’re looking at a different ballgame, but we’re also looking at different consequences. Chairman Dinning said we’ve always had the philosophy of being extremely up front and if we want to create the agency and the district, then that’s what it’s about. There are glaring examples of abuses and these districts are created for specific reasons and those reasons should be completed and paid off as soon as possible. Chairman Dinning said we should look into the management of the system and he provided scenarios to explain what he meant.
Treasurer Larson left the meeting at 2:30 p.m.
Chairman Dinning said he’s looking at if the community wants to form an agency. It would be tailored now for the first project being the sewer project, but it can be used to help with other things in the county. If the City of Bonners Ferry wouldn’t have put a stop to water and sewer outside of the city through a system that they purchased, we wouldn’t be here today as there is a fair amount of area to put in businesses to the south. Both of the city’s systems are at capacity and need an update. Chairman Dinning said the city has run out of land mass. The county won’t get anything done in a month or two as there is so much to do. Chairman Dinning said a $100,000,000 new assessed value will create $10,000 in tax. Mr. Higgins said to get this to work, we have to question how to finance it and it all boils down to what the voters want to do. Chairman Dinning said he’s respectful with what voters want to do and Commissioners are charged with looking forward, but they will do what the voters want.
Those present discussed new businesses asking about available sewer services when they’ve expressed interest in relocating.
Chairman Dinning said one of the comments made that he took away from the Three Mile Water Association’s meeting was about not wanting a lot of growth. Those present discussed people’s fear of growth, etc. Mr. Weed said if there is lot of opportunity for jobs that can support families, wouldn’t people be excited about that? Chairman Dinning said not necessarily.
Chairman Dinning said we have a lot of answers to get and we need to be methodical and take our time.
Mr. Higgins left the meeting at 3:23 p.m.
Mr. Weed provided Commissioners with a brief update on fiber optics before leaving the meeting.
4:00 p.m., There being no further business, the meeting recessed until tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
***Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
9:00 a.m., Commissioners held the elected officials/department heads meeting. Present were: Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser, Planning and Zoning Administrator John Moss, Treasurer Sue Larson, Road and Bridge Department Superintendent Clint Kimball, Courthouse Maintenance John Buckley, Emergency Services Director Mike Meier, Solid Waste Department Superintendent Claine Skeen, University of Idaho Extension Educator Amy Robertson, County Noxious Weeds Department Superintendent Dave Wenk, Chief Probation Officer Stacy Brown, Prosecutor’s Office Manager Tammie Goggia, Sheriff Dave Kramer, Chief Deputy Clerk Tracie Isaac, Assessor Dave Ryals, and Restorium Administrator Karlene Magee.
Chairman Dinning stated that budgets need to be turned in by mid-May. Commissioners are following legislation that’s being discussed and they’re not sure how these matters will affect counties, but some of the issues are Medicaid expansion and redirecting sales tax dollars. Ms. Goggia asked if money could be budgeted for the restrooms downstairs, such as painting, deep cleaning and unplugging the faucet. Mr. Buckley clarified that where the faucet is plugged is in the wall.
Chairman Dinning said Commissioners are in the process of updating the personnel policy and they’re trying to get it to the point that elected officials can review it and provide their responses.
Mr. Moss said this is the week for Planning and Zoning hearings.
Treasurer Larson said tax deeding will take place this next Monday and she added that she and Chief Deputy Treasurer Jenny Economu will attend a course in Lewiston next month on urban renewal.
Mr. Kimball said Ruby Creek Bridge #2 has temporary deck rehabilitation completed and engineers said it will now hold a truck with a load, but until the Idaho Transportation Department’s bridge division comes to inspect this bridge, the weight signage remains. Mr. Kimball said he’s confident fire trucks will make it across the bridge. Mr. Kimball said every road is posted now for weight limits that needs to be and related information can be found on the website. Permits are required for any laden vehicle on county roads. Road and Bridge is working to wing back snow and get drainage off the roads so it doesn’t freeze so bad overnight. Road and Bridge is also working on the Moyie River Bridges to chip off ice.
Mr. Meier discussed his active shooter tabletop exercise and he mentioned having a biological incident class coming up on Thursday. The biological incident course is almost full with 37 people and the instructor is coming from Louisiana to teach this course. There is also going to be a cybersecurity course on April 23rd and those who are interested in attending the course will have to sign up.
Mr. Skeen said the weather is melting snow now so people are getting busy bringing in their garbage that they forgot to bring in during the snowfall.
Sheriff Kramer said with the snow melting, he hopes to get the roadside program going again. The Sheriff’s Office obtained a grant in which to provide a use of force training sometime in the spring. Otherwise the Sheriff’s Office is just staying busy. Sheriff Kramer mentioned working to take care of some building maintenance issues at the Sheriff’s Office so Mr. Buckley will come over and take a look.
Mr. Wenk said people who want to apply for the Neighborhood Weed Coop Program have until March 30th to submit their paperwork. A new updated weed booklet is going to be delivered tomorrow and the booklets are free to people.
Ms. Magee said the kitchen upgrade at the Restorium is done and it looks nice. There are still a few plumbing issues, but the kitchen is pretty much up and running.
Ms. Robertson listed upcoming courses at the Extension Office. Ms. Robertson said she and Extension Educator Kate Painter received funding for summer college interns again and she explained what work the interns would be doing. The Extension Office will be hosting a lot of summer youth programs and day camps, according to Ms. Robertson.
Mr. Buckley said on Thursday he will change the locks on the front and rear doors of the Courthouse.
Ms. Goggia said the Prosecutor’s Office is still busy. Five new felony cases have been opened. Four were habitual offenders and the 5th person has cases that hadn’t been heard yet.
Ms. Brown spoke of juvenile probation and said caseloads are increasing a little bit, but people who are released on their own recognizance have opportunities to stay out of jail and are having their testing done at the Probation Office so the office is staying busy.
Chief Deputy Clerk Isaac said Lifeflight memberships expires May 31st so she will pass out information about signing up again.
Clerk Poston said budget paperwork will come out soon for the departments. Boundary Community Clinic will become the preferred provider for the county so if an employee has a work comp injury, they will need to go to Boundary Community Clinic, but the set-up of this system is not yet done. Richard Hunter with the Industrial Commission will come this week to evaluate different county jobs. He was given job descriptions for the various county jobs to see what can be done or what light duty would consist of for specific offices. Mr. Kimball said what Road and Bridge has found is that a person is released for work without the doctor accurately knowing what’s going on. Such as an employee running a loader is easy, but getting in and out of this loader is not easy.
Mr. Wenk said the Translator Board is having a meeting as it pertains Verizon and poor reception. Mr. Wenk asked if he could get information as to where Verizon doesn’t work well anymore. Those present explained where they’ve had trouble getting service.
The elected officials/department heads meeting ended at 9:22 a.m.
Sheriff Kramer and Mr. Wenk stayed after the meeting.
Mr. Wenk reiterated that the new booklets listing weeds are done and will arrive soon. He will be in Salmon Idaho April 2nd through April 4th to attend a one day meeting. Mr. Wenk said he just completed a weed free 4H certification for Boundary County so he can do inspections to determine weed free certified stray/hay. On March 26th he will teach a master gardener class. There are 30 applications for the Neighborhood Coop Weed Control program and seven are new applicants. Mr. Wenk informed Commissioners that he is having issues with the website so he asked about having a link. Mr. Wenk asked if there is another system for email besides Outlook as he is having issues sending or receiving larger files. Commissioners said they would talk to Computer Arts.
Mr. Wenk left the meeting at 9:29 a.m.
Sheriff Kramer presented quotes for a new patrol vehicle for the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Kramer said his office received replies from four dealers as follows: Taylor and Sons Chevrolet with a quote of $36,423.91, Knudtsen Chevrolet with a quote of $38,375, Bud Clary Auto Group with a quote of $43,386.02, and Timberline Auto Center, who stated they could not provide quote as they couldn’t meet the criteria. The lowest quote was $36,423.91 from Taylor & Sons Chevrolet. Sheriff Kramer informed Commissioners that this vehicle would be built in the late summer or early fall and although there is a vehicle already in stock in Washington State, it is $7,000 more.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to accept the quote of $36,423.91 from Taylor & Sons Chevrolet for a 2019 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Sheriff Kramer said he’s getting dispatchers trained for emergency medical calls. Until help arrives, dispatchers can give some medical advice.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to sign the Emergency Medical Services Agreement for the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Sheriff Kramer left the meeting at 10:00 a.m.
Treasurer Sue Larson joined the meeting at 10:00 a.m.
Those present discussed the topic of urban renewal districts that was discussed yesterday afternoon.
Treasurer Larson discussed matters pertaining to holding a tax deeded property auction. Commissioners scheduled the auction for July 16, 2019 at 10:00 a.m.
Treasurer Larson left the meeting at 10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m., Chief Deputy Clerk Tracie Isaac joined the meeting and those present resumed their review of the county’s Personnel Policy.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to approve the Certificate of Residency for Jaron Figueroa. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners resumed their discussion on the Personnel Policy.
Commissioners recessed for lunch.
2:30 p.m., Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session with Chairman Dan Dinning, Commissioner Wally Cossairt, Commissioner Walt Kirby, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Michelle Rohrwasser.
2:30 p.m., Treasurer Sue Larson joined the meeting.
2:30 p.m., Property owner Dan Baker with 3D Equity LLC., called to clarify a delinquent property tax matter, in which he claimed a house was on a parcel he purchased, but the survey showed the home to be on the neighboring property. Mr. Baker explained that the county canceled tax on value of the house and he paid taxes due for the value of the land and costs. Mr. Baker said he wanted a year to work this situation out so now we’re here. Mr. Baker said as far as he can recall, he was going to pay the taxes for the home for one year as he was still legally showing he owns the home and paying taxes on it gave him leverage as far as ownership. Mr. Baker said he was going to pay the one year. Chairman Dinning said the value of the home is still part of the taxes owed today. Mr. Baker said it’s time for him to go ahead and legally move on as far as taxes and say the house is not on his land so he will try to get the house off his land.
Assessor Dave Ryals joined the meeting at 2:32 p.m.
For years 2015, 2016 and 2017 taxes for the value of the house are still owed by Mr. Baker and for year 2018, the house has been added to the other parcel. What the county is looking at for this year is to cancel taxes on the value of the house and that would leave the tax and costs for the land, which would be $984.51 as of today. Going forward what would be best for year 2016 and 2017 would be to cancel value of the house and taxes that this house’s value generates on the parcel as well as cancel solid waste and translator fees. That house won’t be reflected anywhere else for Mr. Baker. Mr. Baker said he thinks that’s fair and what needs to be done. The amount of $984.51 is due for the land for year 2015 and Mr. Baker said he would pay that today. $623.32 is the amount of tax for the house, which is not part of the $984.51 being discussed. Chairman Dinning said part of total consists of the costs and title reports that needed to be done for tax deeding and the total for costs is $321.95. That includes late fees and interests on the land and city taxes.
Commissioner Cossairt moved to cancel the house portion of taxes for parcel RPB0240041012BA as follows: cancel $756.19 in taxes, special fees and late fees for year 2015, cancel $783.64 in taxes, special fees and late fees for year 2016, and cancel $867.71 in taxes, special fees and late fees for year 2017, plus interest on the house portion only. This leaves the amount of $984.51 owed to the county. Commissioner Kirby second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners said the house is now off Mr. Baker’s property for taxes for these years and it has been moved to the appropriate property so Mr. Baker will receive an updated invoice.
The call with Mr. Baker ended at 2:40 p.m.
Treasurer Larson left the meeting.
Commissioners tended to administrative duties.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
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DAN R. DINNING, Chairman
ATTEST:
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GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Michelle Rohrwasser, Deputy Clerk