***Monday, February, 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 8:55 a.m. and stated that he has a spreadsheet with inventory numbers for AED’s and needed supplies for the various locations. They will need to purchase an AED for the new Justice building and the Assessor’s complex also needs one.
Fay Almond entered the meeting at 9:02 a.m.
Mr. Fields then asked about fire extinguishers for the new Justice building. Ms. Poston stated that was something that would be addressed at a later date.
Mr. Fields stated that they are having trouble again with people burning pallets at Deep Creek boat launch and he shared pictures. Commissioners asked if he had contacted the Sheriff. Mr. Fields stated he called dispatch, but no one responded. Commissioners directed him to speak to the Sheriff directly and explain the problem and share the pictures so he can direct officers.
Mr. Fields expressed interest in a manual lift at the landfill that he would like to have on hand for maintenance. It has potentially been identified for the next surplus auction and will need repairs if it was kept. Commissioners asked him to look at the cost involved as well as regulations. It will probably make more sense to rent one when needed instead.
Mr. Fields stated that the county cell phone was being spammed pretty hard. He doesn’t want to change the number, but was spending a considerable amount of time answering spam calls. Commissioners advised him to block the numbers. Chairman Robertson asked if he had gotten everything for David Sims so that he could complete the grant applications. Mr. Fields responded yes.
The meeting with Mr. Fields ended at 9:10 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:10 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Certificates of Residency for Ryan Flores, Kaden Rubish and Layleh Araya. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the week of January 19th. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to approve extension of taxes due on parcel #MH65N02E29556BA in the amount of $266.57 including late fees and interest. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously. Will have paid by February 17.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to approve extension of taxes due on parcel #MH00030000019TA in the amount of $374.02 including late fees and interest. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously. Will have paid by February 3.
Commissioner Bertling moved to appoint Tessa Vogel and Clare Marley as Co-Acting Planning and Zoning Administrators. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Lease Agreement with T&T Farms. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2026-17 Establishing Fee Schedule for Public Records Requests. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2026 - 17
A RESOLUTION ESTABLSHING FEE SCHEDULE FOR
PUBLIC RECORDS REQUESTS
WHEREAS, Idaho code Title 74, Chapter 1 establishes the Idaho Public Records Act, which governs the disclosure of information by all state and local government entities, making all records maintained by Boundary County open to the public for inspection and copying at all reasonable times, unless such information is specially exempted from disclosure by law; and,
WHEREAS, County staff often receive requests from the public for copies of public records within the County’s custody and possession; and,
WHEREAS, Idaho Code § 74-102 (10)(c) authorizes Boundary County to collect advance payment of fees associated with public records requests; and
WHEREAS, Idaho Code § 31-870 authorizes the Board of County Commissioners to impose and collect a fee for those services provided by the county which would otherwise be funded by ad valorem tax revenues.
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Boundary County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the Boundary County Fee Schedule, effective immediately.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED THIS 2nd day of February 2026.
NOW, THEREFORE, on motion duly made, seconded, and unanimously carried,
DATED AND DONE this 2nd day of February, 2026.
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
s/______________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/______________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
s/______________________________
Lester Pinkerton, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/__
GLENDA POSTON
Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recorded Instrument #302164
Clerk’s Note: Fee Schedule can be viewed at the Clerk’s Office
At 9:22 a.m., Commissioners held proceedings for the 2026 Alcohol Beverage License application for Naples General Store. Those present were: Chairman Robertson, Commissioner Bertling, Commissioner Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims, Greg Lamberty, and Fay Almond. The proceeding was recorded.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve and sign the documents presented for Naples General Store. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The proceedings ended at 9:24 a.m.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to sign letter appointing Matt Morgan to the Waterways Board. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Poston confirmed that payment had been received for the lien on the indigent file.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Release of Lien for Financial Assistance on indigent #2014-54. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the plat map for Propagation Point. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:35 a.m. and stated that he will be in Boise later this week attending meetings for the Prosecutor’s Office. He recently had a call with the attorney regarding Riverside and believes everything was taken care of so that can move forward. He has also had continued correspondence with the hospital’s attorney and was currently waiting for them to respond. There are ongoing discussions regarding extracting items from records and what can/cannot be done.
Assessor Olivia Drake entered the meeting at 9:44 a.m.
Chairman Robertson asked Mr. Wilson to explain property tax exemptions regarding cemeteries and the term “public”. Ms. Drake stated that it was confusing and the word public was not defined. Mr. Wilson stated that there are some specific rules regarding them and he believed they had to be associated with a taxing district to be public and exempt from the application process. He will look at the code to confirm and forward information.
The meeting with Mr. Wilson ended at 9:50 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Lorlene Johnson entered the meeting at 9:56 a.m.
Mr. Lamberty and Ms. Almond left the meeting at 10:00 a.m.
Ms. Johnson stated that she represented the Porthill Community Cemetery and she didn’t agree with the fact that she had to complete paperwork for the property tax exemption each year because she was public. She asked to see the state mandate because it was repetitive and wasteful. Chairman Robertson replied that they agreed with her, but the state law requires us to send them out. He added that they did quiz the civil attorney and he was looking into it. It appears that in order for you to be considered public you have to be a taxing district. Since you are not, we have to go through this process.
Ms. Johnson stated that they don’t even have to register with the state. Chairman Robertson replied we don’t like it, but we have to follow the law and there are counties across the state doing this same process right now. Any changes to it would have to happen at the state level.
Ms. Johnson feels that they should be considered public because they do not turn anyone away. Chairman Robertson replied that it appears there are certain items that have to be met and the attorney was looking into what those were.
The meeting with Ms. Johnson ended at 10:08 a.m. and she left the meeting.
Ms. Drake left the meeting at 10:15 a.m.
Misha Nauman-Davis entered the meeting at 10:15 a.m. and gave a document to Commissioners and stated that she wanted to talk to them. Chairman Robertson replied that you would need to make an appointment so that this could be placed on the agenda. He asked her to briefly summarize what it was about. Ms. Nauman-Davis stated it was concerning intent to taint a jury by an elected official. Chairman Robertson replied that Commissioners do not have authority over another elected official. Ms. Nauman stated that she had reached out to the Attorney General and they keep pushing it back to the County. Chairman Robertson explained that each elected has their own duty, and we do not have authority over any of them.
Ms. Nauman-Davis left the meeting at 10:18 a.m.
Chief Probation Officer Alisa Walker entered the meeting at 10:31 a.m. and stated that misdemeanor numbers are increasing with more complicated juvenile cases. She added that the K9 and his handler started school today and she was able to secure a spot in a class in Coeur d’Alene. The school was going through recertification as well, so it appears there will be no charge for the class. The dog will be trained to detect five different drugs.
Commissioner Pinkerton stated that he had concerns about expenditures of a dog down the road. He was a supporter, but the cost can be incredible. Ms. Walker replied that the expenses are always changing, he was getting certified with the class and we don’t have to pay for that. She added that the school district would like the dog to visit and she will schedule that when he returns.
Ms. Walker stated that treatment court has changed with quality assurance, improvement plans, and a three-year review plan. Every treatment court in the state will go through a level of the program this year. Both her team and the court will be in review beginning in March. She will also have her pier review this year.
The meeting with Ms. Walker ended at 10:45 a.m. and she left the meeting.
Boundary Economic Development Director David Sims entered the meeting at 10:50 a.m.
At 11:00 a.m. Mr. Sims stated that the agreement for the post office in Moyie Springs was finally done. DEQ has approved the O&M Manual that he put together for Moyie’s sewer project which saved them a considerable amount. Mr. Sims will partner with Bonner County to put on a meeting for Department of Commerce and he has invited Idaho Labor Economist, Sam Wolkenhauer to present.
Mr. Sims stated that he has been asked to serve on the Department of Commerce Infrastructure Committee. They held their first meeting last week. Due to the increase in tariffs, inquiries are increasing for the Foreign Trade zone/subzone in Boundary County. He has encouraged them to reach out to schedule a time to talk to Commissioners. The businesses would have to do a fair amount of work to get a secure zone before it would be approved. Chairman Robertson had questions regarding the fees and who the board was. Mr. Sims responded that the county sets the fees, and it was assumed that the Commissioners were the board for the zone, but he would look for additional information.
Mr. Sims then updated them on the grant for energy assistance and stated that there may be additional funding available through the Historic Mitigation Bank program. He provided letters of support for the Waterways Grant applications and also informed HMH of funding available through USACE for riprap.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block grant applications. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Sims ended at 11:37 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and reconvene as the Board of Equalization. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stated they had several Property Tax Exemption Applications for review.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RPB0080003004AA. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #RP61N01E327280A. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on Parcel #’s RP64N01E178400A, RP65N01W157200A, and RP65N02E340146A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Roberson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #RPB0880002011CA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #RP64N01E069440A. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #RP62N02E076462A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #’s RPB0160002007BA and RP63N01E350621A. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #’s RP65N01W246910A and RP65N01W217349A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RP60N01W264060A. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RP61N01E208414A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #’s RPB0780003010AA and RPB0780004001AA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RPB0080004012DA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application on parcel #RPB0020003011AA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RP62N01E111400A. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #RP0780001005BA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair and moved to approve Property Tax Exemption Application for parcel #’s RPB00000342881A and RPB1060002002AA. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to adjourn as the Board of Equalization and reconvene as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Daniel Devencenzi entered the meeting at 11:50 a.m. and described issues he was having. Commissioners took his information and told him they would pass it onto the Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioners recessed for lunch at 12:02 p.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 1:31 p.m. Mr. Barton stated that last week they put down sand, salt/salt brine. There were slick roads this morning and they had three vehicles out addressing those areas. They also did some cold patching, brushing and hauled rock to address small areas on roads that were breaking up. Those roads were Ruby Creek, Lookout View, Pleasant Valley, Black Mountain and Fleming Creek. They will begin closing roads as needed for breakup.
Commissioner Bertling asked about the dirt pile in Moyie. Mr. Barton stated they were still waiting to hear about that. Their understanding was that the mill had about 5 trucks to move it to the rock pit.
Mr. Ryals shared documents for PPE for landfill employees and shared a letter that they suggested be given to the five employees this would impact. Ms. Poston stated that if they are given an amount to spend for PPE, it would be considered taxable income.
Commissioners discussed changing the policy to allow the employee to be reimbursed up to $500 for PPE during the first two months of the fiscal year. Because of the late start it would be February and March this year only. New hires would also have two months from the date of hire.
Mr. Ryals said the cameras are up and running on a loop and they moved a lot of mud over the weekend.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the ITD Mileage report. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioners discussed the funds available for equipment.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign documents for the 2003 Peterson Wood Grinder when they receive the original. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Poston stated that she would like to have a discussion with the auditor regarding the grinder since it will be used by both the Solid Waste and Road & Bridge and it wasn’t an equal split.
Mr. Barton then shared several documents regarding the grader with different payment options.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the CAT 150 grader finance documents with $100,000 down. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Barton asked about the Schedule A agreement and Commissioners stated that they will know more later in the week and asked that this topic be added to the agenda for discussions.
Mr. Ryals stated that they would like to wait on the CAT Loader and Intermax until a future date. Mr. Barton stated that they had made an adaptor for the loader and it was currently moving the tarp system. Commissioner Bertling asked to let him know when the signs were up for the burner so they could take pictures. Mr. Barton stated that the water truck was fixed and they are holding a safety meeting later this week to get the cover dialed in.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 2:29 p.m.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 2:30 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Ms. Barton provided documents that needed signatures including timesheets and a change from part-time to fulltime employment. Commissioners chose an employee to fill a vacancy on the Classification Committee.
Commissioner Bertling moved to go into executive session 74-206(a) to consider hiring a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, wherein the respective qualities of individuals are to be evaluated in order to fill a particular vacancy or need. This paragraph does not apply to filling a vacancy in an elective office or deliberations about staffing needs in general and 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.
Ms. Barton left the meeting at 2:56 p.m.
There being no further business, meeting adjourned at 3:22 p.m.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling (by phone), Commissioner Lester Pinkerton (by phone), Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.
Prosecuting Attorney Andrakay Pluid entered the meeting at 10:54 a.m.
Cory Trapp with Longwell Trapp and Denny Wedel with B.F. Builders entered the meeting at 11:00 a.m.
Mr. Trapp stated that they had several change orders to go over. The first one was for structural repairs that were found during the demolition. The amount was $10,368.00. These were needed to make the building structurally sound.
The next was regarding a storm water catch basin that was located in the alley that will fall under the new sally port. The ally was the low point and it needs to be moved. The cost for that will be $10,892. Commissioners discussed options to reduce this cost or have the city assist with the expense. Chairman Robertson will ask city council to consider.
Mr. Trapp stated the last change was a reduction of about $500. The mechanical engineer included springs on all of the HVAC on the roof and it was only needed over the judge’s chambers and courtroom. There may be more credits coming. Mr. Trapp stated the city will be changing the water meter at no cost and they will also need to install a water pressure reducer so it doesn’t cause issues with the new faucets. He added that the city said they would furnish it, but was unsure if there was a cost involved.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve the two change orders as discussed. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting adjourned at 11:15 a.m. and everyone left the meeting.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk