BCAD to switch meeting times

SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Ambulance District met Tuesday for a concise, hour-long meeting that resulted in a new meeting schedule.  

Beginning in April, the board will meet twice a month instead of every week to give officials more time to communicate with third parties.  

Commissioners only had to adopt the order of agenda, approve an invoice relating to an ambulance repair and discuss two action items. Along with the board of commissioners and EMS representatives, only one community member was present at the meeting.   

“I think that the tasks that we have been working on require time, and the passage of time is necessary. For example, with ICRMP we need more time, we don't have an update to give,” Commissioner Asia Williams said in support of the shift. “I don't want to spend my time in a meeting where I could be working on the task that is identified as a high-level task.” 

A month prior, the board moved to meet on a weekly basis after communication discrepancies led to a short agenda.  

To maintain efficiency, the first meeting of the month will be a light meeting, set aside for approving bills and urgent items. The second meeting will be utilized for progress reports on high priority task items and any other prevalent information.  

According to Commissioner Brian Domke’s task list, high priority task items are as follows: Create a multi-year budget plan to define when BCAD will be budget neutral, establish appropriate legal relationship between BCAD and the county, define staff and equipment requirements needed to support the desired future level of service, amend ordinance No. 456 to better define BCAD, explore alternative legal structure of ambulance district and establish services required to fully support BCAD.