Commissioners allocate over $2 million in federal and county funds

SANDPOINT — Tuesday’s board of county commissioners meeting had a robust agenda allocating federal grand funds, approving routine expenditures, and adding unanticipated revenue to the budget.

During the half-hour meeting, commissioners allocated $2,162,980.19 of local, state, and grant funding for various uses in the county. Among the items covered by the board were the purchase of an ambulance, elimination of out-of-state trash collection and disposal, and approving over $1.5 million for routine expenditures.

The commissioners began by approving the consent agenda which granted 12 liquor licenses to county businesses, and approved two emergency medical service invoices over $5,000.

The meeting was shorter than most because no one chose to speak during public comment at the beginning of the meeting.

The Clerk’s Office brought two items before the commission to approve routine expenditures for the county, totaling $1,643,417.09. And another routine expenditure for EMS totalling $121,085.99. The commissioners approved.

Emergency Medical Services asked the commissioners to approve a resolution that would allow EMS to partner with Braun Northwest Inc., based out of Chehalis, Washington, in a sole-source agreement to purchase an ambulance. A sole-source agreement is a process that allows two entities to enter into a contract without a competitive process. Sole-source procurement is allowable through Idaho Code.

The ambulance is a Ford F-450 4x4, with a seven-year factory warranty. The cost of the ambulance is expected to be around $200,000, according to information by Fire Chief Jeff Lindsey. The commission was asked to approve the EMS department posting notice for the sole-source agreement two weeks prior to the purchase going through, as per county code. The commissioners unanimously approved the resolution.

“Anytime we have a project-specific vendor we have to have sole-source procurement advertisement first,” said Commissioner Chairman Dan McDonald.

The Solid Waste Department brought a resolution before the commission for eliminating out-of-county waste fees, as the county will no longer accept out-of-county waste.

“So basically, we are no longer receiving any out-of-county generated trash,” Bob Howard for the Solid Waste Department said. “So, those residents from Washington will have to use their Washington location to dispose of their trash,” he said. The commission approved.

“At the end of the day, it seems like we are getting inundated with trash from outside of Bonner County, and we don’t need anymore trash,” said Connolly. “We’re getting more trash than we can basically handle.”

“It’s not only trash,” Howard said, “it’s household hazardous waste, and all those other things we have to pay for to dispose of; that Bonner County folks are paying for other folks to dispose of their trash.”

The commissioners approved the action item.

The Commissioner’s Office brought two items before the commission.

The first action item was a settlement agreement for a national opioid lawsuit that the county joined at the request of the Governor and Attorney General offices. The full story can be found in the Nov. 17 edition of the Daily Bee.

The second item brought before the commissioners was a resolution to appoint board members to the Priest Lake Groomers Association. The association manages snow grooming around Priest Lake. Commissioners appointed a new member, reappointed a previous board member, and corrected verbiage regarding term limits.

“There’s not always a lot of interest for these positions,” Connolly said. “These are volunteer positions. They try to figure out the best way to spend money from snowmobile licensing fees. We have two groomer boards, and four groomers.”

Connolly further clarified that the county does not spend any money on the board or on its functions.

“A lot of people enjoy it. It brings a lot of people to our area. The snowmobile people utilize our businesses,” Connolly said.

The commissioners approved the resolution and settlement agreement.

The Extension Office also brought two items before the commissioners. The first item asked commissioners’ approval for the university extension budget. Funding will come from the extension office’s budget, although it was not stipulated how much the budget would be. The agreement was authored by the University of Idaho and approved by the county’s legal department, along with other procedural checks. The agreement will provide research-based information to citizens. The agreement also functions as an official document outlining the relationship between Bonner County and the University of Idaho. After the commissioners approved, Commissioner Jeff Connolly remarked that this is a yearly process.

The second item asked the commission to approve electronic payment processes for the 4-H program. Jennifer Jensen for the extension office said that many 4-H families have requested the option to pay for related expenses with their credit card.

Commissioners approved both items.

Emergency Management asked the commission to add $11,051.61 to their budget. Funds are coming from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management. Commissioners approved.

The Facilities department asked commissioners to allow a prospective contract with Lippert Excavation & Pipeline for winter snow removal at the county jail and juvenile detention center. There is no exact cost for the contract yet, as it is still in its early phases. This is a routine expense that occurs every winter season. Commissioners approved.

Road & Bridge brought two items before commissioners. The first, awarding a $16,325.50 contract to Interstate Concrete & Asphalt. The funds will come from the Railroad Safety grant to pave 100-feet of asphalt at the N. Boyer railroad crossing. The paving will complete the project started this summer.

“Our objective was to get the railroad crossings paved so that it was less of a safety hazard for our operators,” Connolly said. “This is kind of a last-minute thing to fix it before winter.”

The second item asked commissioners to approve snow removal contracts for the Hope Peninsula, Shadow Valley, and Glengary Bay totaling $4,140. Funds will come from the Road & Bridge budget.

Commissioners approved both items.

The Planning department asked the commission to approve a verbiage correction in a road vacation contract awarded in June. The contract vacated 60-feet of road on Terry Trail. The commissioners approved the resolution.

At the end of the agenda, McDonald recessed the meeting before reconvening for executive session.

During the executive session, commissioners discussed two items regarding hiring public personnel.

The county commissioners hold a weekly business meeting that is open to the public at 9 a.m. every Tuesday in the administrative building at 1500 Highway 2.

Members of the public are encouraged to speak during public meetings. People can choose to speak about items not on the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. Those who wish to remotely attend can do so via Zoom. The meeting can also be livestreamed on Bonner County’s YouTube channel, where an archive of previous meetings can be viewed.