Commissioners’ – Week of August 3, 2026
Meeting Date: August 3, 2026 9:00 am
Meeting Minutes
***Monday, August 3, 2026 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.
Maintenance Supervisor Squire Fields entered the meeting at 8:58 a.m. Mr. Fields said the kitchen remodel in Memorial Hall was complete. They found more breaks in the sprinkler system at the courthouse which have now been repaired. The DMV move was in mid-process, with signs having been removed and a sandwich board has been placed to help direct people to the new location.
Chairman Robertson asked about the boiler repair. Mr. Fields said they will need to cut through to access the pipe that was leaking. Commissioners discussed different ways to access the location and agreed that their plan was the best option. They asked Mr. Fields to make the project a priority.
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:10 a.m.
Mr. Fields said the leak was easy to fix, the access was difficult. He said the window and HVAC grants are complete. They are still waiting on the assessment for the tree grants.
The meeting with Mr. Fields ended at 9:15 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Mr. Wilson entered the meeting at 9:26 a.m.
At 9:30 a.m. Mr. Wilson said it was a calm week last week. They are working through some pending litigation for the airport and will move forward with filings soon. He also expected to see early possession agreements coming for Riverside. Some of the previous Riverside agreements will also be renewed.
Commissioners asked Mr. Wilson to put together information for the public hearing for North Bench Fire and requested his attendance.
The meeting with Mr. Wilson ended at 9:47 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Mr. Lamberty left the meeting at 9:50 a.m.
P&Z Tech Jenn Maynard entered the meeting at 10:00 a.m. and provided the P&Z report. She stated that they are working through her email issues. July had a dip with only 13 applications. She believes that was due to the economy. YTD they have received 152 applications. Ninety-five of those are placement permits, with eighty-nine residential and six commercial. The residential placement permits are meeting the 8-week goal 66% of the time, which was a 3% increase over the previous month.
Ms. Maynard said they closed 13 files in July with a total of 113 closed YTD. FY25 the YTD total was 118. They have 26 files active for FY26 and another 26 active files from FY25.
They are working through the corrections for ordinance codifications and will have a list soon. She then discussed the applications and potential changes that are needed. Commissioners agreed to proceed with the administrative changes. Ms. Poston suggested they run it by legal before implementing.
Ms. Maynard will be attending a flood plain workshop in September.
The meeting with Ms. Maynard ended at 10:13 a.m. and she left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Certificates of Residency for Logan Archibald. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the week of July 27th. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign RFR #004 for FAA AIP 028 Grant. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign RFR #02 for ITD Airport Aid Grant F26I65A AIP028. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign Reimbursement Request #3 for 25JC-Boundary. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2026-37 to amend Disaster Declaration to include all fires in Boundary County. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2026-37
DISASTER DECLARATION
2026-36 AMENDED TO INLCLUDE ALL FIRES WITHIN BOUNDARY COUNTY
WHEREAS, based on representations and assurances made, there is an imminent threat to public safety and property in Boundary County as the result of multiple wildfires, and
WHEREAS, Idaho Code §46-1011 authorizes Boundary County, State of Idaho, to declare a local disaster emergency to authorize the furnishing of aid and assistance, to activate the response and recovery aspects of any applicable local or intergovernmental disaster emergency plan;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED AND IT IS HEREBY DECLARED THAT:
Section 1: The Boundary County Board of Commissioners, State of Idaho, declares that a disaster emergency exists within Boundary County, State of Idaho, due to the wildfires, creating an imminent threat to public safety, structures, and timber.
Section 2: Such disaster may require State of Idaho and Federal emergency assistance to supplement local efforts to protect, mitigate, avert, and lessen the threat of impact of the disaster.
Section 3: This declaration shall take effect and be in force as of the date and time of the Disaster Declaration, July 16, 2026 at 9:02 a.m., and shall continue until rescinded, amended, or modified by the Boundary County Board of Commissioners, whichever occurs first.
Section 4: The Boundary County Board of Commissioners, State of Idaho hereby authorized the Clerk to attest and execute this declaration.
PASSED by the BOUNDARY COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS on the 16TH day of July, 2026, and so amended on August 3rd, 2026.
BOUNDARY COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
s/_____________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/_____________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
s/_____________________________
Lester Pinkerton, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/________________________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
Recorded Instrument #303883
Probation Officer Alisa Walker entered the meeting at 10:30 a.m. and stated that she will be in ARCON training today. They are just about ready for the fair where they will raffle off four baskets, demonstrations with K9-Gator, and fun activities for kids. Their numbers have been increasing.
She said the treatment conference went well and they received some good training. Some of her staff will partner with the city to get some of their annual qualifications for the year. They plan to attend the annual Juvenile conference in September.
Chairman Robertson asked her to explain the pantry. Ms. Walker listed the items it contained and that it was on the honor system. Chairman Robertson asked her to take precautions so that it was not abused. He supported the items for youth, but did not feel it was a good use of tax dollars for adults.
The meeting with Ms. Walker ended at 10:53 a.m. and she left the meeting.
EDC Director David Sims entered the meeting at 10:54 a.m. and said that Jenny Hemley from Idaho Department of Commerce visited on July 7th where she visited businesses and met with the City of Bonners Ferry. The city was still considering asphalt for the Bonner St project to reduce the costs. The EECBG grants are complete but he was still waiting on invoices. Mr. Sims will reach out to the vendors so those can be submitted. He added that they are still waiting on the assessment for the tree grant.
The ED Pro grant has been submitted to the state and he hopes to hear results soon. Angela Cooper has replaced Dennis Weed on the EDC Board.
Moyie Springs has not made any progress on the highway project. The Post Office foundation was moving forward and a modular will be brought in soon.
Canadian traffic has increased compared to 2025 numbers but was still only 22% of 2024 traffic. Mr. Sims was still working with businesses who were interested in growing and expanding.
Commissioner Bertling discussed the Parks & Rec and Waterways Grants that did not receive funding. Mr. Sims said that he would be happy to help when it was time to reapply. Commissioner Bertling then asked about funding for a pump at the fairgrounds. Mr. Sims said he will look into options.
The meeting with Mr. Sims ended at 11:24 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Phil Allegretti entered the meeting at 11:26 a.m. and provided information regarding the mosquitos that have been captured this year. Mr. Allegretti said there are 30 species of mosquitos in the area and he has caught 19. Things are beginning to dry up so the thought now was a good time to end the survey. We can then see what funding was available for 2027.
Chairman Robertson asked how many of them are native. Mr. Allegretti thought most were. He added that mosquitos are the most dangerous animal on earth. They have killed millions of people due to the diseases they spread. Commissioner Pinkerton asked if they should be looking for more funding. Mr. Allegretti felt that the KNWR should be doing that. They were increasing the area that will cause the population to grow which will increase the potential for disease to spread.
Chairman Robertson asked how far they travel. Mr. Allegretti said that they can fly about one mile, but when the wind was factored in, they can travel about 20 miles. Chairman Robertson then asked how long do they live. Mr. Allegretti said the males typically live a couple weeks. Females will live longer.
The meeting with Mr. Allegretti ended at 11:49 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 11:56 a.m.
The meeting 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/Solid Waste Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 1:27 p.m. and said they picked up traffic counters from Iron Horse, Timberland, Dewdrop and Old Addie. Chipseal was their main focus at this time and they will continue to haul rock to stockpile for chipseal. Chairman Robertson asked about paving aprons and Mr. Ryals said yes, they do where it makes sense. He also shared HMH’s qualifications for the Parker Creek bridge.
As for Solid Waste he said they are working on definitions for the Ops Plan. The fence installation was completed last week and they received permission to do a secondary swale so they are working on that. A new employee started on Sunday and they have another interview scheduled. Commissioner Bertling asked about the wood separating. Mr. Ryals said they are supposed to be separating but agreed they could do better. He suggested that they separate the piles instead of having them side by side.
Mr. Ryals also suggested a mattress recycling program. He felt that you don’t get the compaction because of the density and they fill up the landfill quickly. He said they are still waiting for information on cardboard recycling.
Ms. Poston asked if they would have time to pave behind the Justice Building. Mr. Ryals said they could add rock and grade it soon. Paving could then be done at a later date.
The meeting with Mr. Ryals ended at 2:03 p.m. and he left the meeting.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 2:15 p.m. and provided personnel documents for signatures.
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 2:28 p.m. No action was taken.
At 2:45 p.m. Commissioners held a budget workshop for FY 2026-27 until they adjourned at 4:53 p.m.
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 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.
Sheriff Travis Stolley and Chief Deputy Caleb Watts entered the meeting at 8:45 a.m.
At 9:00 a.m. Commissioners held a budget workshop for FY26-27 with various departments.
The meeting with Sheriff Stolley and Chief Deputy Watts ended at 10:05 a.m. and they left the meeting.
Road & Bridge/Solid Waste Superintendent Brad Barton and Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 10:06 a.m.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 11:45 a.m. and they left the meeting.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 11:53 a.m.
The meeting 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.
Restorium Supervisor Janay Smith entered the meeting at 1:33 p.m.
The meeting with Ms. Smith ended at 1:58 p.m. and she left the meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:09 p.m.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk