BOCC to discuss Wheeler resignation

SANDPOINT — Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler's resignation and the county's updated compensation policy highlight the county commissioners' final meeting of the year.

Wheeler announced his resignation in mid-December but would return to the post in mid-January when he is slated to be sworn in for his fifth term Jan. 13. In his resignation letter, Wheeler noted he planned to file for retirement benefits and needed to be separated from county employment for a 30-day period before he could do so.

During his absence, Undersheriff Ror Lakewold has been temporarily filling the position.

According to Idaho Code, if someone retires from a PERSI-participating agency and is rehired within 30 days, they are not eligible for benefits due to insufficient separation of service. However, if the period is longer than 30 days, the separation is considered sufficient.

Bonner County Republican Central Committee Chair Scott Herndon has criticized Wheeler's actions on social media, saying recent changes to the law may mean that the sheriff may not be eligible for retirement benefits because he has guaranteed reemployment due to his successful reelection bid. Herndon also wrote in the post that Wheeler's resignation may not have taken effect when he hoped and, in his opinion, would fall under the 30-day mark. 

"If Daryl draws PERSI payments in January, Bonner County will be liable to pay them back with interest when it is discovered that he was less than 30 days separated or that he had guaranteed reemployment," Herndon wrote in the Dec. 17 post.

The former Idaho state senator wrote that it would be his recommendation to Wheeler that he withdraw his resignation before the BOCC takes it up. 

Also on today's meeting agenda is the county's updated compensation policy, last revised in October 2021. The revised policy incorporates the county's compensation philosophy, impact on the overall budget and relation to the area's labor market, pay ranges in various county departments, reviews, bonuses and potential changes.

Bonner County Noxious Weeds Director Chase Youngdahl is scheduled to bring a pair of items before the commission, the 2025 Selkirk Cooperative Weed Management Area's annual operating plan and the associated cost share application. The application is for a request of $15,336 from Idaho State Department of Agriculture; roughly $7,600 would benefit Bonner County.

"This is an inherently ongoing project with no tangible sunset, however sites and focal species vary from year to year, depending on reports from the public and/or CWMA committee members," Youngdahl wrote in packet information to the board. "The request is a pretty small ask, but it makes a significant difference for building goodwill while achieving (early detection, rapid response) strategies."

Targets this year for the CWMA, which also incorporates Boundary County, include a small bugloss project in Boundary County and tansy ragwort and scotch thistle infestations in Bonner County.

The 2025 operating plan includes collaboration with groups such as the Kinnikinnick Native Plant Society to inventory vegetation along the Popsicle Bridge corridor. Noxious weeds discovered in the corridor include orange and yellow hawkweeds, spotted knapweed, oxeye daisy and Canada thistle with densities ranging from moderate to high.

The ongoing project also provides both education and branding items that offer both information and links to key websites.

Also included in the packet information is the Selkirk CWMA end-of-year report, which details the group's efforts over the past year in both Bonner and Boundary counties as well as previewing expected projects and efforts in 2025.

Two Bonner County Sheriff's deputies, BCSO Deputy Donald Alt and BCSO Sgt. Christopher Bell will be presented with their handgun, badge and retired identification badge, pending BOCC approval. Alt retired Dec. 3, 2024, from his duties as a detention deputy, while Bell will retire from his duties as a patrol sergeant Jan. 29.

Bonner County Clerk Michael Rosedale is seeking approval from the board on two batch claims, one totaling just over $828,730 and a second totaling just over $1,004. In addition, the county clerk is bringing the 2024 Public Defender Annual Report to the board for approval.

Batch claims are the routine bills, costs, and purchases needed to maintain county services, including those from emergency medical services. 

Rosedale is also seeking approval of the Fiscal Year 2024 County Indigent Expense Report, a requirement to confirm the grants are being used in accordance with Idaho law. The form details expenses such as salaries and benefits for attorneys, support staff, investigators and more to total $2,092,835.

On the consent agenda, the board is slated to approve a liquor license, a pair of minor land divisions and two invoices over $5,000, including procurement of grader and plow bits for use by County Road & Bridge this winter.

The first MLD for Carter's Cove near Ponder Point would split a 2.84-acre parcel into a 1.19-acre lot with 0.65 acres of usable space and a second for 0.81 acres with 0.51 acres of usable space. The second land division for the Lau Subdivision would divide two 9.8-acre parcels into two 5.01-acre lots and one 9.44-acre lot. Located off Sanborn Creek Road, the property is zoned Rural 5 and meets zone requirements, according to data included in planning documents.

Board of Bonner County Commission meetings are held at the Bonner County Administration Building, 1500 U.S. 2; and live-streamed via YouTube. To access the streams, go online to the Bonner County YouTube page at bit.ly/3NElj9X.