***Monday, May 25, 2026
COURTHOUSE CLOSED FOR MEMORIAL DAY
***Tuesday May 26, 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.
Airport Manager Dave Parker entered the meeting at 8:57 a.m. and informed the Commissioners that the closing documents were scheduled to be signed on Thursday. Commissioners asked if the new owner would be full or part-time. Mr. Parker thought he would be full-time with Mr. Parker being a contract employee to assist with the grants that are in process. Ms. Poston stated to keep her office informed so they can switch the payments when needed.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Assignment of Fixed Base Operator Agreement. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Assignment of Airport Management Agreement. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Berting moved to sign Landlord Release. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Parker ended at 9:14 a.m. and he left the meeting.
EDC Director David Sims entered the meeting at 9:28 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling made a motion stating that We, the Commissioners of the county and state aforesaid, acting as a Board of Canvassers of Election, do hereby state that the attached is a true and complete abstract of all votes cast within this county for the candidates and/or questions as they appeared at the election held on May 19, 2026 as shown by the records now on file in the County Clerk’s Office. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Sims stated that we did not receive a bid amount that was responsive for the HVAC and suggested that they go out for an RFP instead. He stated that Shoshone County did that recently and also included the amount available in the proposal. The state would like to see the RFP beforehand to make sure it complies.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:35 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to send out invitations seeking RFP’s for the Energy Efficiency grant. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Sims ended at 9:36 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Mr. Wilson stated it had been a fairly routine week. They had received a bid protest for the airport project so a public hearing will need to be scheduled. He suggested that all bid participants be allowed to participate and receive notice. Interested parties also have the right to appeal to the FAA. Mr. Wilson then updated Commissioners on some of the public records requests.
Phil Allegretti entered the meeting at 9:55 a.m.
The meeting with Mr. Wilson ended at 9:56 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2026-33 Increasing the Justice Fund Budget Due to Receipt of Unanticipated Revenue. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2026-33
INCREASING THE JUSTICE FUND BUDGET
DUE TO RECEIPT OF UNANTICIPATED REVENUE
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners, County of Boundary, State of Idaho, did establish an operating budget for the Boundary County Justice Fund, Sheriff Budget for fiscal year 2025-2026, and
WHEREAS, Boundary County has received reimbursement in the amount of $2,400.00 from the City of Bonners Ferry and the Boundary County Sheriff, and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Justice Fund Pros. Attorney Budget is in need of additional revenue for fiscal year 2025-2026, and
WHEREAS, the addition of this revenue does not affect the tax levy for Boundary County, and
WHEREAS, it is appropriate to increase the Boundary County Justice Fund as follows:
Revenue Account Number Expense Account Number
0008-00-0391-0002 0008-03-0528-0000 $2,400.00
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS RESOLVED, that the increase to the Boundary County Justice Fund Revenue Account Numbers and the Boundary County Justice Fund Prosecuting Attorney Budget Expense Account Numbers as outlined above is hereby authorized and ordered, and
IT IS FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk is instructed to deliver certified copies of this resolution to the Boundary County Treasurer and the Boundary County Auditor.
DATED this 26th day of May, 2026
COUNTY OF BOUNDARY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
s/_________________________
Ben Robertson, Chairman
s/______________________________
Lester L. Pinkerton, Commissioner
s/______________________________
Tim Bertling, Commissioner
ATTEST:
s/ ______
Glenda Poston, Clerk of the Board of County Commissioners
Recorded Instrument #2026-33
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve the Change Order for the website. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Allegretti stated that the state was going to give them another $3,000 for a West Nile Virus project like last year with the possibility of more money at the end of June. He expects the expenses to be about the same as the previous year. He was willing to proceed if Commissioners want to move forward.
Commissioner Bertling replied that he would like to continue until we see if the refuge flooding causes any significant change. Mr. Allegretti replied that in order for their project to work they will have to raise the water quite a bit in an attempt to restore floods in the valley and mosquitos will come with that.
Commissioner Bertling moved to pursue the West Nile Virus project with the grant funds received. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Chairman Robertson asked how mosquitos get West Nile Virus. Mr. Allegretti replied from birds. The wildlife refuge was a big reason why the state wanted the county to continue to gather data.
The meeting with Mr. Allegretti ended at 10:12 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign letter to Natural Resources Committee. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Shane Robinson with USDA Wildlife Services and George Hayes Boundary County representative for District I Idaho Animal Control Board entered the meeting at 10:29 a.m. Mr. Robinson replied that they were here for their yearly update. Things were pretty good for the county. He had one wolf kill a calf at Smith Creek last fall. There are grizzly’s around, but no problems last year.
Commissioner Bertling asked about the mountain lion in Moyie. Mr. Robinson replied that he was not aware and asked that his number be passed along. Chairman Robertson asked if there have been any lion problems in Boundary County. Mr. Robinson replied that there was one shot in Bonner County last year, but none for Boundary. Kootenai County also has problems with lions and he suspected they were coming over from Washington.
Mr. Hayes said that the secretary will send over a request for $6,000 and he will also ask her to forward all of the reports and minutes.
9B Trails board members Olivia Drake, Rob Beck and Bill McEnany entered the meeting at 10:55 a.m.
Ty Iverson and Ron Sukenik entered the meeting at 10:56 a.m.
The meeting ended with Mr. Robinson and Mr. Hayes at 10:57 a.m. and they left the meeting.
Ms. Drake introduced the 9B Trails board members and updated Commissioners on the trails for Mud Slide. She stated that they would like to also add a trail to the right side of the road and said they wanted to include a flow track but there wasn’t enough room. She said they are struggling with parking and letting people know it was open. Commissioner Bertling replied he was working with ITD and trying to get confirmation whether the jersey barriers need to be pinned or not. If they do not have to be pinned, they can move them to allow more room for parking. Commissioners said 9B Trails can install a sign at the top where there was more room.
Outside Auditor, Scott Hoover entered the meeting at 11:05 a.m.
Ms. Drake stated that she did not have any updates for Riverside. Chairman Robertson asked Mr. Sukenik about his concerns. Mr. Sukenik replied that he was on the board for Drainage District #2 and he has seen various plans for the park, but had concerns that no one had approached the District regarding those plans or gotten approval. The easement was owned by the Drainage District and by Statute there was a process to be followed. He felt that 9B Trails/County needed to establish communication with the Drainage District.
Chairman Robertson replied the plans are all talk at this point and an MOU was possible if we had two willing parties. Mr. Sukenik stated that he had concerns about breaching of the dike, putting in a road and gates that were installed that the District does not have access to. Chairman Robertson replied that he was not aware of most of his concerns. All future plans are just talk at this point and he suggested a future meeting be scheduled to discuss further. Ms. Drake asked that 9B Trails be included in the meeting. As for the gate, no one knew who installed it. It might have been put there by the tribe when they were doing restoration work prior to the county acquiring the property. Chairman Robertson stated that in the short-term let’s have the locks changed or rekeyed and work toward an MOU.
Chief Deputy Clerk Pam Barton entered the meeting at 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Iverson said he supported the ball fields at the park, but there wasn’t enough room for parking. Chairman Robertson agreed that any future development would need to include parking.
Mr. Sukenik and Mr. Iverson left the meeting at 10:33 a.m.
Ms. Drake continued with trail discussions on Section 16 and Enchanted Forest. They have someone who was interested in holding a Mountain Biking race and asked if Commissioners had any issues. Commissioners replied that they would need to have insurance naming the county as additional insured and approval from IDL.
The meeting with 9B Trails ended at 10:34 p.m. and Ms. Drake, Mr. Beck, and Mr. McEnany left the meeting.
Treasurer Jenny Economu entered the meeting at 10:35 a.m.
Mr. Hoover handed out the audit report and reviewed the county’s fiscal year 2025 audit. Those present reviewed chapter information of the audit. Mr. Hoover stated there were no reportable deficiencies in internal controls, there was compliance with all major federal programs and congratulated Ms. Poston and her team. She has a good segregation of the duties involved and it was a clean audit which was the best that the county can strive for.
As for the Landfill Closure Fund, he felt not much had changed since FY24. We are still working toward closure plans and are awaiting DEQ’s determination. It will be interesting to see where we are next year with actual numbers.
Mr. Hoover then explained a new accounting announcement for calculating paid time off and said that accrued sick leave would also need to be included in those figures. He said he estimated that to be about $200,000 that will be added to the liability for the next FY.
Commissioner Bertling moved to accept the audit as reported. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
The meeting with Mr. Hoover ended at 11:58 a.m. and everyone left the meeting.
The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:03 p.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 last week they ran the crusher, did sign work on Deer Park, Harvest, Deep Creek and Ballpark Roads. They were also watering, grading and applying dust abatement on roads throughout the county. Rock was hauled to the landfill and stockpiled for future projects. This week they plan to do some Dura Patching and continue with dust abatement.
Commissioner Bertling asked about Foust Rd and Mr. Barton replied that they raised it about 6-8 inches so that it now drains.
At 1:34 p.m. Commissioners held a bid opening for metal recycling. Those in attendance were: Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Commissioner Lester Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims, Solid Waste Superintendent Brad Barton, and Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals. The proceeding was recorded.
Two bids were received with the following amounts: Pacific Steel and Recycling at $100 per ton and Sutton Salvage also at $100 per ton.
Commissioners reviewed the documents included a noted that Sutton Salvage also included a signed Independent Contractor Agreement and Debarment. Chairman Robertson stated that they would reach out to legal on how to proceed since the bid amounts were the same.
The proceeding ended at 1:38 p.m.
Mr. Ryals said he emailed an updated Operations Plan for the landfill for their review. Commissioners then discussed the waste that will be produced from demolition of Valley View and their desire to crush the blocks to be used as road base instead of putting it into the waste stream.
Mr. Ryals then reviewed rates for the landfill and a formula process he has been experimenting with. He wanted to get rough numbers implemented so that a baseline could be established. He will need to look more into the categories to determine what types of businesses were included in each.
Commissioner Pinkerton left the meeting at 1:55 p.m. to take a phone call.
Mr. Ryals suggested that the number of employees a business has might be something to consider in addition to the type of business. Commissioners asked him to keep working on the numbers and get a list on the types of business included for each code.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 2:08 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 2:14 p.m. and provided some documents for Commissioners to sign regarding employee status.
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. Chairman Robertson stepped down as chair to second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”.
Commissioner Pinkerton rejoined the meeting at 2:22 p.m.
The executive session ended at 2:43 p.m. No action was taken.
Bonners Ferry District Forest Ranger (USFS) Heather Fuller entered the meeting at 2:44 p.m.
Ms. Fuller said that she suggested that they pursue funding for road projects. Portions of that will be easy because they have the NEPA for recreation. If they don’t have NEPA it will delay the project. She also informed Commissioners that she initiated emergency consultation for Riverside regarding wolverine. She felt they were willing to allow burning, but felt it was adverse around certain units. She said there was no evidence of wolverine in that area.
They have burned 300 acres so far this year, with no other prescribed fires planned this spring. They will look at burning more in the fall.
Ms. Fuller said that all campgrounds are open, but Copper Creek does not currently have water. That should be fixed later in the week. They have also cleaned up 38 miles of trails. She then updated Commissioners on logging/blowdown projects throughout the forest.
Ms. Fuller updated Commissioners on the GNA and funding for it. Their upcoming meeting will be where they can do a deep dive into what they want to do and the financial structure. Chairman Robertson asked to have the agreement ahead of time so that they can have time to review. She also added that the engineers reviewed the slide at Snow Creek and made some changes to the design. A new agreement will be sent over.
Commissioner Pinkerton asked if they were able to hire seasonal help. Ms. Fuller replied yes, they have a few. The positions were pretty broad previously and this year they are for recreation only. There were not as many applicants as in the past and there were some difficulties with the process.
The meeting with Ms. Fuller ended at 3:12 p.m. and she left the meeting.
Commissioners completed their Panhandle Health Ballots for Benewah County.
Commissioners received an email from legal regarding the earlier bid opening which stated that if two (2) or more bids are the same and the lowest responsive bids, the authorized decision maker may accept the one (1) it chooses.
Commissioner Bertling moved to award the metal pile bid to Sutton Salvage. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
P&Z Admin Jenn Maynard entered the meeting at 3:29 p.m. and apologized for missing the department head meeting the previous week. Her computer and email were down for four hours that day and she missed the reminder.
She wanted to visit with Commissioners about the budget she submitted. She needs to replace the computer and requested additional funding in her next budget for that purpose. She also will need a large scanner so that she can scan the larger plat maps. Most of the equipment that she has was from 2017.
Commissioners asked her to reach out to IT to get a computer ordered using funds from her current budget. Commissioners also said that they wanted to schedule monthly meetings with her for P&Z updates. They would like her to identify issues or items to change that will speed up or simplify the process.
The meeting with Ms. Maynard ended at 3:46 p.m. and she left the meeting.
There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk