Commissioners’ – Week of August 17, 2026
Meeting Date: August 17, 2026 9:00 am
Meeting Minutes
***Monday, August 17, 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.
Commissioners discussed the amount to contribute to the landfill closure fund for FY26-27.
Commissioner Bertling moved to set the contribution to the Landfill Closure Fund at $75,000 for FY26-27. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Certificate of Residency for Ryland Meador. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the weeks of August 3rd and August 10th. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign the Agreement for Shelter Services with SCAA for FY26-27. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the City/County Dispatch Agreement with City of Bonners Ferry for FY26-27. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Additional Services Addendum for Bid Protest. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign EECBG Reimbursement Request for 2026-EECBG-R2-006 Windows and Doors. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign EECBG Reimbursement Request for 2026-EECBG-R2-007 HVAC. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:12 a.m.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign/accept AIP 030 Grant for $4,856,336. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign/accept ASRID 031 Grant for $1,429,022. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign Task Order #26-02 for Runway 2/20 Rehabilitation & Extension. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign letter of support for the North Idaho Critical Corridor Fire Mitigation Project. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign letter of support regarding pediatrics at Boundary Community Clinic. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Airport Managers Dave Parker and Matt Nichols entered the meeting at 9:20 a.m.
Airport Board member Jay Wages entered the meeting at 9:22 a.m.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:28 a.m.
Airport Board member Don Jordan entered the meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Mr. Lamberty left the meeting at 9:31 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to go into executive session 74-206(f) To communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated. The mere presence of legal counsel at an executive session does not satisfy this requirement. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye. The executive session ended at 10:20 a.m. and Mr. Wilson, Mr. Jordan, Mr. Wages, Mr. Parker and Mr. Nichols left the meeting. No action was taken.
IT Director Matt Hodges and EDC Director David Sims entered the meeting at 10:21 a.m.
Mr. Hodges explained that many of the phones in the courthouse are not working. It appears that multiple cards have failed. Chairman Robertson asked him to get more information regarding repair/replacement for them to evaluate.
Mr. Hodges left the meeting at 10:23 a.m.
Mr. Sims explained the email that was sent regarding the UFC Grant. He said that they have had some staffing changes and have not yet sent out the grant award. However, we can send in an email requesting permission to begin work. Mr. Sims explained that we don’t yet know what trees are included and he suggested that they could perhaps include that in their response to the county.
Commissioner Bertling moved to authorize Mr. Sims to send an email/letter requesting permission to begin work associated with the UFC grant. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Sims left the meeting at 10:28 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and reconvene as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve the meeting minutes from July 20, 2026. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to adjourn as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board and reconvene as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Lacey Lowther with Victim Services entered the meeting at 10:58 a.m.
Prosecutor Andrakay Pluid entered the meeting at 10:59 a.m.
Ms. Lowther said that she usually comes in to report during the month of September, but she wanted to check in early to let them know what was going on. We are staffed 5 days per week with 2 full time and several part-time to provide services to the community. They work closely with the prosecutor’s office, but also receive referrals from the offices of the sheriff and clerk. The need for their services has increased considerably and they are seeing overlap in working with multiple clients at the same time. Confidentiality was important and they are unable to help multiple people at the same time due to their current space. We are needing office space that has multiple offices in one space and are hoping that they can acquire the prosecutor’s office when she moves to the Justice Center.
Chairman Robertson replied that everyone was putting in requests for space. We are trying to hold off on moving anything until sometime after the move into the Justice Center. Commissioners Bertling and Pinkerton agreed that those decisions will come at a later date. Offices will be moving, but we don’t yet know what that will be or what may be available.
The meeting with Ms. Lowther ended at 11:13 a.m. and she left the meeting. Ms. Pluid also left the meeting.
VFW Commander Casey Gannon entered the meeting at 11:21 a.m. and apologized for being late. He said the fair was a big success. He also added that the kitchen remodel looked really nice in Veterans Memorial Hall and thanked Commissioners for the work they have done.
VFW Sargent of Arms, Sam Sandel, entered the meeting at 11:29 a.m.
Mr. Gannon then asked about the basement moisture issues. Commissioner Bertling said that maintenance needed to open the vents and place screens so air could circulate. They will also ask them to install a small fan.
Mr. Gannon said that they will be hosting the fall regional meeting. Clerk Poston reminded them to reserve the date for Veterans Memorial Hall with the fair office.
Mr. Sandel asked if they can leave coffee/food items in the kitchen. Commissioners replied that they would prefer that those items not be left even for weekly rentals. The dog tag machine can be stored however.
The meeting with Mr. Gannon and Mr. Sandel ended at 11:36 a.m. and they left the meeting.
IT Director Matt Hodges entered the meeting at 11:36 a.m. and he said a new phone system would cost $22 per phone if they use the same company as the sheriff. Intermax was $21 per phone and First Line was $20 per phone. First Line was what they currently have and they can also send some cards immediately so that the phone system can be temporarily repaired. Commissioners agreed to go with First Line and get the process moving immediately.
Mr. Hodges then stated that he had two quotes for the security system in the new Justice Center. One was for $41,000 and the other was for $51,000. Mr. Hodges has reached out to their current provider with no response. Commissioner Bertling also said he tried to reach out to them with no response.
Commissioners confirmed with Clerk Poston that she had enough in the budget and agreed to proceed with the $41,000 estimate.
The meeting with Mr. Hodges ended at 11:48 a.m. and he 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.
Road & Bridge Superintendent Brad Barton and Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 1:31 p.m. Mr. Barton said that ICRMP would be here on Thursday to look at the damage to the truck. The City of Bonners Ferry did the investigation and the camera was also not functioning.
Last week they replaced some signs on Pine Island and Paradise Valley that have been removed. Dust abatement was applied at the landfill and Lions Den and water on Hillcrest. They also did some Durapatching on Moyie River Rd and continued with stockpiling/rolling/sweeping with chipseal on Kootenai Trail, Paradise Valley, Longview, Porthill Loop, Rutledge, and Moyie River. Next week they plan to continue with crushing, hauling rock, chipseal, and brooming.
Mr. Ryals presented the documents for the Myrtle Creek bridge project.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the MOA for Myrtle Creek Bridge FLAP project. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Ryals said they have made some progress on cardboard recycling and have a couple vendors coming up. One of them has equipment that can be used or rented. They will start baling some of the cardboard and do some test runs but were pretty confident that it was a program that could move forward.
Mr. Ryals then discussed the Operations Plan for Solid Waste and the changes that had been included. He said it was a living document and will be adjusted as needed.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Operations Plan for Solid Waste. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling asked them to take a look at Bloom Hill, there were a couple places near the tracks that needed some work. Chairman Robertson asked if anyone had driven District 5 recently. Commissioner Pinkerton said that he would. Commissioners then asked about Riverside B. Mr. Barton said they are still hauling rock and the road was still closed. The paving had not yet begun.
Commissioners then asked them to get numbers on the cost to pave the Fairgrounds parking lot. Mr. Barton said he would and added that might be a project for next year. They would have to close it down so they would need to coordinate with any scheduled events.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 1:57 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Personnel Director Pam Barton and Probation Officer Alisa Walker entered the meeting at 2:15 p.m. Ms. Barton said that Ms. Walker had requested that her position be reviewed and reclassified for drug treatment coordinator.
Ms. Walker said that her job description does not include that and she felt it was important that the county formally recognize that in her roll. She also added that Trial Court Administrator, Lisa Chesebro also suggested that she make the request because that was part of her reimbursement.
Ms. Barton then reviewed the history of the position showing that drug court was already included in the position for her predecessor and was also included in the job she applied for. It was not listed on the job description that she signed, but Ms. Barton wasn’t sure where that job description came from. She added that the position was off the scale for classification and drug court was included in that process previously.
Chairman Robertson said there was no reason to do the reclassification because that was already included. As far as reimbursement, we would have to defer to the Clerk to see what was included. Ms. Poston said that we receive only $5,000 per year or $1,250 each quarter and that money was currently being used by Ms. Walker and judges for travel to training. She added that there wasn’t enough to cover the cost of those items.
Commissioner Bertling asked if any of the drug court duties can be transferred to another employee. Ms. Walker was not sure. They are wanting to expand the program but she was trying to figure out how to manage that. If she tracked her hours, she was currently working 50-60 hours per week. She was also seeking more funds because they don’t get compensated for drug testing and she felt her budget shouldn’t be paying for drug court expenses. She added that she was required to attend training.
Chairman Robertson asked Ms. Poston to provide a breakdown of how the funds have been used for their review. He also asked if the state was going to contribute more money. Ms. Walker said yes, they are proposing to do that for supplies, testing and coordinator fees. She was unsure what that amount would be however.
Ms. Walker left the meeting at 2:37 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 2:55 p.m. No action was taken.
Bonners Ferry District Forest Ranger Heather Fuller entered the meeting at 2:56 p.m.
She said that they had a meeting with the Meadow Creek Homeowners Association on the 3rd. She wanted to be clear that the USFS was not pushing one way or the other. It was up to the Homeowners Association to bring the road up to the standard and decide their path forward.
Ms. Fuller then said the Upper Smith Creek fire was at approximately 3,700 acres and has slowed some because of rain. A public meeting was scheduled for August 18th and they will transition to another ad hoc Type 3 team on August 24th. She did not feel they were ready for a Type 4 team.
Commissioner Bertling asked what the difference was. Mr. Fuller replied that it had less resources and a less complex team. She added that other fires have been reported but they either are not finding a fire or crews were able to quickly put them out.
As for the agreements, Ms. Fuller said she had to separate the vegetative and recreation so there are now two GNA’s. The recreation was the most complete. She asked for a working meeting for the veg agreement to hammer out the numbers. Commissioner Bertling said he could help and they also suggested to include IFM. Chairman Robertson suggested that they also include Road & Bridge in the discussions.
Ms. Fuller said the timber sales for Snowdown will be finished up in the week and there will be one final blade down from the 3 mile junction to the county road. Caribou Snow was sold to IFG and road work has started. The logging operations will begin once weather turns wet. Should have completed before January 15th.
The RAC proposals were due July 31 and she believes there were less proposals than funding available. The CFLRP with KVRI was a bit of surprise and they are trying to get things in place so they don’t loose the funding for next year.
The meeting with Ms. Fuller ended at 3:37 p.m. and she left the meeting.
Stacie Watts entered the meeting at 3:48 p.m. and said the arena at the fairgrounds was last graded seven years ago. A recent event caused some damage and as a result it was uneven, holding water and not draining properly. They received a grant specifically for arena work and she was requesting in-kind funding from the Commissioners and Road & Bridge to grade the arena for them. They have also implemented rules, such as no digging to prevent damage in the future. New dirt will also be brought in.
Commissioner Bertling asked what their timeline was. Ms. Watts replied that she would like to have it graded before winter so it can settle. Chairman Robertson described the issues and said there was an 18-24 inch difference between the two sides of the arena with water draining toward the grandstands. Commissioner Bertling asked what the plan was for the water. Ms. Watts said they will have to continue to slope it toward the grandstands. Chairman Robertson said I thought you were going to use this grant specifically to square it up. Ms. Watts replied no, this grant was specifically for arena work. The reason for the slope was because the bucking chutes are sinking and need cement footings.
Commissioner Bertling said that was going to be difficult to grade. Chairman Robertson added that it will also need to be regraded after the chutes are lifted. Ms. Watts said the chutes were the last project. She again stated that they are asking for an in-kind donation of $5,000 which was the same amount they received from BNSF. She was also reaching out to the High School to see if they could build a screen to sift the dirt to eliminate rocks and the rodeo will help with wood.
Commissioners agreed, but asked for a scope of work by the end of September for further discussion.
The meeting with Ms. Watts ended at 3:55 p.m. and she left the meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.
Tuesday, August 18, 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.
At 9:00 a.m. Commissioners held an elected officials/department head meeting. Those present were: Noxious Weeds Superintendent Kyle Watts, Personnel Director Pam Barton, U of I Educator Amy Robertson, Prosecutor Andrakay Pluid, Probation Officer Alisa Walker, Veterans Officer Wayne Olin, Road & Bridge Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals, and Restorium Supervisor Janay Smith.
Commissioners went around the room for office updates from the various departments in attendance.
The meeting ended at 9:19 a.m. and everyone left the meeting except Ms. Robertson.
At 9:30 a.m. Ms. Robertson provided her quarterly update for the Extension Office. She said they just finished up with the fair last week and she hoped to have sale totals in a few days. For Family Consumer Science they have held a number of classes on jerky, boil canning, estate planning, aging in place, mental health first aid, smoking and grilling, freeze drying, air frying, food preservation, harvesting and storing. The Bonners Ferry Rotary Club has provided $500 to help fund the mental health class. She has also provided or partnered with others to provide outreach for family child care, camps, middle school career fair, cow to butter and know your government. In August they had the style review, dirt bike show, dog show and the fair.
For agriculture related classes she said they partnered with Benewah County for landscape for fire prevention and a backyard nursery class. They are also getting lots of questions on pest and disease management from home gardeners. She added that Mr. Degrey assisted with the Farm & Forest Day, bug camp, and helped lead the entomology project. This was the last year of collection of soil samples so he can publish the results of the canola study.
The meeting with Ms. Robertson ended at 9:55 a.m. and she left the meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:13 a.m.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk