***Monday, September 29, 2025 at 9:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Commissioner Lester Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.
Commissioners said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Commissioner Berting moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the week of September 22. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign New Private Road Name Request Forms for Patriot Way and Charlie Lane. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners reviewed claims for payment. Fund totals are as follows:
Current Expense $ 64,821.93
Road & Bridge 238,007.07
Airport 3,840.15
District Court 8,616.62
Justice Fund 51,059.39
911 Funds 5,494.73
Parks and Recreation 10,113.22
Revaluation 3,623.97
Solid Waste 34,082.28
Veterans Memorial 22.57
Weeds 4,130.74
County EMS 184.45
Restorium 22,271.91
Waterways 694.25
Grant, Selkirk Coop Weed Mgmt 255.00
Grants, Fire Mitigation 31,617.08
LATCF 58,968.80
TOTAL $537,804.16
Trusts
Boundary Co. Drug Court Trust 397.15
State Unclaimed Property 2,379.89
Interlock Device Fund 32.40
Sherriff’s Trust Fund 193.00
Sheriff’s Special Projects 1,380.39
Odyssey Bond Trust Account 1,147.25
Odyssey Restitution Trust Account 1,335.40
TOTAL $6,865.48
GRAND TOTAL $544,669.64
Citizens are invited to inspect detailed records on file in the Courthouse (individual claims & Commissioners’ allowance & warrant register record 2024-2025).
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:07 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Cooperative Agreement for University of Idaho Extension Programs. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Professional Services Subcontract Agreement with Alta Science & Engineering. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the GEM Grant Agreement from Idaho Department of Commerce. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:29 a.m. and stated that they have been working on a personnel issue which they hope will be resolved soon. He has also been working on public records requests. There was one pending matter that could develop into litigation and he asked for an executive session to be scheduled for discussion. Mr. Wilson stated that he would be in attendance at the Commissioners’ meeting scheduled for tomorrow.
Chairman Robertson stated that he recently attended a Bonner County Commissioner meeting and asked if they could share some HR documents from that meeting. Mr. Wilson responded yes, the documents are public and that he would share them.
Commissioner Pinkerton stated that the hospital meeting went well and they will be re-writing the document he had concerns with.
The meeting with Mr. Wilson ended at 9:46 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Jim & Lynn Hill entered the meeting at 9:49 a.m.
Mr. Lamberty left the meeting at 9:53 a.m.
Mr. Hill, President of North Bench Fire, provided a letter to Commissioners from the North Bench Fire Board and stated that they wanted to bring two items to the attention of the Commissioners. The first being notification of development. He stated that Planning & Zoning was doing a fairly good job with that. There were a few that were missed and we are investigating to see what happened on those. We are not sure if the issue was that we were not included in the notifications or if the Fire Department dropped the ball on responding.
The second item was that many people who develop are not aware of the state requirements. There was a checkbox on the forms, but there wasn’t anything directing them to what the requirements were. The board would appreciate it if something was provided to them when they first come to Planning & Zoning so that they are not surprised later.
Commissioner Bertling asked how many users do they serve. Mr. Hill responded that there are 1800 parcels in the district with about half of them being paid members. That was a continuing problem for the district and why their board recommended a four to one vote to become a taxing district. They felt it would be a fair and predictable model for them.
Chairman Robertson asked about the timeline to put it on a ballot. Ms. Poston responded that it was currently in their court. They will need to go through the petition process and develop the language for the ballot. Mr. Hill added that they could possibly have a petition ready after the first of the year. The cost to property owners would depend on the level of service provided.
Mr. Hill added that some private roads are not able to handle a water tender or fire truck. Chairman Robertson said that the state code wasn’t something that counties are required to adopt or enforce. That would be up to the state to enforce similar to septic systems. Mr. Hill agreed, and added that if there wasn’t anyone at the state level, fire chiefs and sheriff were tasked with enforcing the code.
The meeting with Mr. Hill ended at 10:17 a.m. and he and Ms. Hill left the meeting.
John Ailport entered the meeting at 10:18 a.m. and provided a document listing the grants awarded to Boundary County from the WUI program. He reviewed the list of what was on the books now compared to what Boundary County has historically had. He stated that Deer Camp was nearly complete with $46,574.50 remaining and it should close out in October. Kat Camp was a normal replacement with $100,000 and South Boundary was also a normal replacement at $230,000.
Mr. Ailport then stated that this spring we applied for and received $500,000 for Boundary Hazard Fuel from PRRA and $221,733 from Joint Chiefs FY25. If you accept these grants, it will put the county at a rate of 2-3 times more than your normal funding level. Mr. Ailport wanted to point that out to make sure the county was aware.
Ms. Poston stated that it would be fine as long as the reimbursements are received in two-week intervals. If there was a government shutdown, then there would be a problem.
Chairman Robertson asked if there was a government shutdown, if the state has control of the funds already. Mr. Ailport stated that we thought so, but that was not the case with the last one.
Ms. Poston stated that if we are reimbursed in that two-week timeframe, we are good. But if there was a large amount or a delay, that would cause problems.
Mr. Ailport asked if they are sending in more invoices, would there be an issue. Ms. Poston again confirmed that it would not, as long as they are reimbursing in a timely manner.
Commissioner Bertling asked about the contractors he was working with. Mr. Ailport stated that he had two contractors that will continue working until the snow gets too deep.
Mr. Ailport will have the draft MOU’s sent over so that legal can review before it was added to an agenda.
The meeting with Mr. Ailport ended at 10:55 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Jacob Francom with North Idaho Classical Academy, Wayne Jessup with J7 and Economic Development Director David Sims entered the meeting at 10:57 a.m.
Mr. Francom provided information to the Commissioners regarding updates on North Idaho Classical Academy and their timeline for opening. Mr. Francom stated that they are still working on environmental, demolition was happening currently and they are expected to close on the property in early November with construction to begin immediately after. They still expect the school will open August 2026.
Mr. Jessop stated that they needed permission to both use and close the access road on the east side of the property during demolition. Chairman Robertson stated that it was the Fair Board’s road, so it was their decision whether to close it or not. They will need to determine what events they have scheduled and we should also check with Parks & Rec to see what sports are currently happening. It was decided that Ms. Poston would reach out to the Fair Board and Chairman Robertson would contact Parks & Rec. They will then get back to Mr. Jessup. Commissioners noted that the County and maybe others would still need to access the water hydrant even if the road was closed.
Mr. Francom asked if they had any questions on the design for the school. Chairman Robertson asked about the maximum per classroom. Mr. Francom responded no more than 30.
Chairman Robertson asked about electives. Mr. Francom stated that they will have electives, but they have not had conversations yet. It would depend on what teacher interests and experience was.
Chairman Robertson asked about staff. Mr. Francom stated that they were not interviewing at this time, but he does have a stack of resumes and benefits would be similar to the public school.
Commissioner Pinkerton asked about security. Mr. Francom stated that a regional representative that works with the public school looks at the designs and it will have a lock down area at the entrance.
Chairman Robertson asked about a School Resource Officer. Mr. Francom stated that they had talked to the sheriff and they have the same emergency plan as the public school.
Commissioner Pinkerton asked if they would be providing any funding toward the SRO. Mr. Francom stated that he was not sure if they could put any money towards it from their own general funding.
Commissioner Pinkerton then asked who was going to build the school. Mr. Francom stated that they would be opening bids soon and stated that they had received bids from StanCraft in Hayden and RCC from Boise.
The meeting with Mr. Francom, Mr. Jessup and Mr. Sims ended at 11:22 a.m. and they left the meeting.
Jennifer Anderson, USFS Fuels Specialist entered the meeting at 11:26 a.m.
Commissioner Pinkerton stated that he added this to the agenda, because he didn’t want to lose any momentum. He then asked what do we need to do to get this moving and make sure there are no gaps in the conversations.
Commissioner Bertling stated that Jeff Lau was a joint employee with the state and USFS and that he was working on a draft agreement for a County/USFS split.
Commissioner Pinkerton asked if there was any idea of a timeline. Commissioner Bertling thought it would be ready by the end of the year.
Ms. Anderson asked if they would still continue with the agreement with the state. Commissioners responded yes, they would like to have both agreements in place.
Commissioner Pinkerton stated that ideally, they would have an agreement in place, employee hired, and be working by spring.
Commissioner Robertson stated that they needed to have an agreement to fund the position.
Commissioner Bertling was hopeful that they would have a way forward in the next month.
Ms. Anderson stated that they work closely with Mr. Lau and to let them know if they can help move things forward. She added that the field trip had been rescheduled for October 8th and they would be looking for a decision on Katkee after October 1.
Commissioner Bertling asked if they were prepared for direct sales. Ms. Anderson stated that she would talk Ed Koberstein and let them know.
The meeting with Ms. Anderson ended at 11:45 a.m. and she left the meeting.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 11:57 a.m.
Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session at 1:30 p.m. with Chairman Robertson, Commissioner Bertling, Commissioner Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.
Road & Bridge Superintendent Brad Barton and Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 1:28 p.m.
Mr. Barton stated that they have been working on pit maintenance, crushing/screening and hauling sand. They also did some watering on Kootenai Trail, brooming on Kootenai Trail, Split Rock and Ridgewood. They also removed trees from the ROW on Katka and ditch work on Split Rock and Kootenai Trail. Road cameras were installed at McArthur Lake and Old Addie to help them view various areas for weather events.
Mr. Ryals stated that the new mechanic will start on 10/6. He also discussed a change he would like to make to the permit process to make it easier to track when new roads are added to existing permitted roads. Mr. Ryals would like to assign a new number to each road instead of staying with the same number. Commissioners agreed and added that it will be easier to see growth which might affect the original permit.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign ITD ROW encroachment application for Three Mile Rd. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 1:50 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Restorium Supervisor Janay Smith entered the meeting at 2:00 pm.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 2:02 p.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to go into executive session 74-206(b) to consider the evaluation, dismissal, or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public-school student. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. The executive session ended at 2:25 p.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to proceed as directed. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Squire Fields entered the meeting at 2:28 p.m. and asked about the cleaning contract because the bids would not be opened for another week. Commissioners directed him to continue with the same contractor until then. They also helped Mr. Fields devise a plan for some repairs on leaking valves so that they could be fixed before the trial starts next week.
Mr. Fields left the meeting at 2:35 p.m.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.; Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Commissioner Lester Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.
Commissioners held a meeting with Tribal Council for the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho to discuss Sturgeon Loop/Great Northern and ways the two governments could work together on projects of common interest. Those in attendance were: Road & Bridge Superintendent Brad Barton, Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals, Boundary County Civil Attorney Bill Wilson, Tribal Chairwoman Jennifer Porter, Tribal Vice Chairman Gary Aitken, Jr., Tribal Council Members Clara Dunnington and Desire Aitken, Attorney General for the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho William Barquin, and Tribal staff Theresa Wheat, and Dennis Weed.
Chairman Robertson opened the meeting with discussion on the project extension for Sturgeon Loop/Great Northern. He stated that the County plans to finish that project next year and asked if that would line up with their plans. Chairwoman Porter stated yes, there was potential for that to happen. She then added that she wanted to discuss miscommunication between the two governments. She felt there was a lot of mishap and they were unhappy about that. She also asked that the two communicate directly in the future.
Commissioner Bertling stated that there seemed to be confusion regarding the funding. The County considers the grant money they received to be taxpayer dollars. Therefore, it can only be used on county projects. Since Sturgeon Loop is not a county road, we cannot use the money to complete your project. Commissioner Bertling then added that some of the Tribal Fuel Tax money is to be used on joint projects between the County and Tribe. So that was why we suggested using those funds.
Attorney General Barquin stated that ITD was the one who suggested the County’s grant money be used to pave Sturgeon Loop. He added that Sturgeon Loop is a public road with the federal government. The intention was to pave the road this year, but the funding did not come through. They are confident they will be able to get money to pave it next year. Chairwoman Porter stated that it was a public road and that they cannot give that away. It will be maintained by their government and not the county.
Chairman Robertson said the reason the island for right in, right out, was delayed until next year was because your portion of the road wasn’t ready. We cannot make drivers turn right without knowing your winter maintenance or spring breakup plans. We thought it might make sense to drop our plows when Road & Bridge leaves the yard, but that was kicked back to us. Chairman Robertson asked how can we develop and share information so that we are assured the traffic for these businesses can get through.
Chairwoman Porter asked how many businesses were on the road. Commissioner Bertling stated there were approximately four or five. Chairman Robertson stated that the businesses that are located there, require a lot of heavy truck traffic and the weight of those trucks will tear up the road in the spring.
Mr. Weed stated that the road was compacted down pretty well. It will get ruts, but that was no different than any other county road. Chairman Robertson stated that we shut down county roads to truck traffic in the spring to prevent damage. The businesses that use that road can’t have it shut down during spring breakup. He then added that his original point was that it doesn’t make sense for you to contract with someone else for winter maintenance. Road & Bridge will come out of their yard, turn right and have to drive with their plows up. It makes more sense for you to have the county do the winter maintenance.
Vice Chairman Aitken stated that ITD was the one that decided it needed to be right in, right out for safety. That decision didn’t have anything to do with the Tribe. Chairman Robertson said that was correct, but the agreement was that both sections of the road would be completed at the same time. Since that didn’t happen, it didn’t make sense to require those businesses to turn right at this time.
Attorney General Barquin stated that the Tribe was going to pave the road. They could also contract with the county to do plowing or other maintenance if that makes sense to do that. Chairman Robertson said that would make the most sense for winter maintenance so that our crew can leave and not have to drive over the snow to get out.
Chairwoman Porter stated that they would maintain it just like they do the parking lots at the Inn. Attorney General Barquin stated that it may be more cost effective to have the county do it. We would need information from Road & Bridge as to what that would look like as far as frequency and cost. Perhaps that could come from the 15% fuel tax or the IRR program. We have budgets for maintenance so we will have to look at where it makes the most sense.
Chairman Robertson said I am open to that discussion. Commissioner Bertling stated that this winter will be a good test. It will depend on their contractor.
Chairman Robertson stated that we agreed to right in, right out. But until the rest of the road was done, we didn’t feel good about making that happen when it will tear up the road.
Vice Chairman Aitken stated that I think it was a miscommunication between the two.
Chairman Robertson said that private businesses had the biggest issue as to how this was going to work and the County could not answer their concerns.
Chairwoman Porter asked that they call in the future, so that they can have a conversation. We would never sign the road over to the County. Chairman Robertson stated that he meant no animosity toward that. It happens frequently with development that private roads are later adopted by the County.
Attorney General Barquin clarified that the County cannot work on the road. Mr. Wilson stated that they cannot do maintenance on a private road. He added that he was glad that they cleared up the private/public use and that they can also consider an agreement for maintenance.
Attorney General Barquin then changed the focus to the Motor Fuels Agreement and that Tribal Council chose to make sure that funding stayed in Boundary County. He stated that the Council needs to provide a report back to the state so that they can show they are honoring the agreement. At this time, they are struggling to do that and he suggested that we continue with these meetings so that they can become a part of the process and know how far out the County was planning.
Vice Chairman Aitken explained the fiscal year of the Tribe and asked what dates do they need to be focused on to get projects done.
Chairman Robertson said that we have the same fiscal year and meetings like this will allow for better communication going forward. So far, we have not had any ideas relayed to us on what you would like to do with those funds. Attorney General Barquin stated that was correct, but there are certain areas that are prioritized, such as the Mission. He asked if it made sense to use that money for that or should it be something else. He asked how do they communicate that information so that we have time to get within those plans.
Chairman Robertson stated that would depend on the project. Right now, the 15% was about $50,000 and this year it cost $35,000 to chipseal a mile of road. So that amount of money doesn’t go very far. It will help to prioritize the projects so we know where to focus.
Vice Chairman Aitken stated that they would like to know what projects the County has going on throughout the year.
Attorney General Barquin asked how the County was motivated by projects if it was by grants or needs. He also asked if it made sense to marry the funds from larger grants and asked when do those funds come in. Mr. Ryals stated that it depends on the grant we went after, some are a year behind. Big projects can be 2+ years out.
Attorney General Barquin asked if the 15% could be used for cost share. Mr. Wilson stated he would have to look at the grant agreements to see if that was allowed.
Chairman Robertson asked what do you want to see as a priority. Vice Chairman Aitken stated that a vague guess would be maintenance on their inventory roads and prioritize the headquarters. It would help if we had a better idea of the projects that you have planned and asked if there was a project list. Mr. Barton replied that yes we do have a list. But when they are going to be awarded was up in the air.
Vice Chairman Aitken said that if they could see what was planned, they might have a preference of one project over another. Chairman Robertson asked Road & Bridge if they had a list of what roads are on the tribe’s inventory. There might be some overlap. Mr. Barton responded no.
Ms. Wheat asked if the County had a five-year plan. Mr. Ryals responded yes, we do. He added that about a third of what they do each year was reactionary and that would be outside of the plan.
It was agreed that the County will share their five-year plan with the Kootenai Tribe and the Tribe will share the list of roads on their inventory with the County.
Attorney General Barquin stated that the fuel tax was very new to all of us, so he was not surprised that there were a few hiccups. Chairman Robertson stated that the dollar amount was just now reaching a number that they could actually do something with it.
Attorney General Barquin asked if you could provide information or an estimate on maintenance. That will help them with the analysis so they can determine how to proceed with that.
Attorney General Barquin stated that Tribal Council felt it would be better to have meetings between Council and Commissioners in the future. Chairman Robertson stated that they were happy to meet with them as often as they would like, but we do have to follow open meeting laws.
Mr. Wilson explained that process. Attorney General Barquin asked if they could trade locations. Mr. Wilson confirmed that they could as long as the meeting was open to the public.
Everyone in attendance agreed to meet on a quarterly basis with the next meeting to take place in January. In the meantime, both entities would trade their respective information.
Ms. Poston stated that the county would need to provide an expenditure report before December 31. Attorney General Barquin stated that they could then add their language and provide that report to their tribal citizens.
The meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk