Commissioners examine HR, compensation

SANDPOINT — The BOCC’s Oct. 8 business meeting centered on human resources; the commissioners approved a change to the reporting structure within the county and voted to table an amendment to the compensation policy for Bonner County staff. 

Among the action items was a proposition to have the county’s human resources and risk management departments report to prosecuting attorney Louis Marshall. Under the existing structure, the departments report to commissioners. 

“I personally am in favor of this because it allows those who work in human resources to kind of have a place that they can go to address their grievances,” said Commissioner Asia Williams. 

“If you look at Bonner County, we have a lot of litigation, and some of that has to do with employee to board or elected official-related issues,” Williams added. “This would allow us to start doing a better job of improving the overall employee relationship within Bonner County, and to help mitigate some of those risks.”   

Commissioners ultimately voted 2-1 to approve the change, with Commissioner Ron Korn casting the dissenting vote. 

“I don't feel like I have enough information right now to be able to vote to support this,” said Korn, who joined the board Sept. 30. “I would like to make a well-informed vote when I vote on things. I just got here a week ago, and I don't have the full dynamics of what is going on.” 

Commissioners voted to approve a two-year lease agreement for eight 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer vehicles at a rate of $64,794 per year. According to assessor Dennis Engelhardt, the cost includes non-normal wear maintenance for the vehicles. 

“I think it’s a heck of a deal for eight,” said Commissioner Steven Bradshaw. “That averages out pretty darn reasonable.” 

Later, Human Resources Director Alissa Clark came before the board to request approval for an update to the county’s compensation policy. Bonner County is transitioning from a pay band to a grade/step pay system, and the proposed amendment included language governing promotions, performance warnings, and interim pay. 

Treasurer Clorrisa Koster said she wished department heads had been consulted about the changes prior to the meeting. “We are the ones dealing with the employees,” she told commissioners.   

Jake Gabell, county planning director, also voiced a desire to see department heads play a part in shaping the language of the policy. 

Gabell told commissioners he thought the amended policy for performance warnings — which states that employees who receive a performance warning are ineligible for a potential annual wage increase that year — would be ineffective. 

“The way this is written, it's going to discourage department heads from giving any kind of formal reprimand toward employees that would have changed their behavior,” Gabell said. 

Williams echoed Gabell’s concern and emphasized the importance of performance evaluation as a component of responsible government. 

“It should be that management feels comfortable to evaluate,” she said. “To me, it sounds prohibitive of that.” 

“There are people in this organization that have not had performance evaluations in decades, and so we have to be able to transition to recognizing that management needs to manage the human capital that they have,” she said. 

The commissioners agreed to table the motion with an intent to schedule a workshop to integrate department head feedback into the policy.