***Monday, May 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.
Commissioners said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Maintenance Supervisor Squire Fields entered the meeting at 8:57 a.m. He stated that pre-election setup had been completed with additional time scheduled for election day. The courthouse boiler has been turned off for the season and the impeller was repaired. He was working on the maintenance budget for the next fiscal year and would include the repairs needed to the Assessor’s building. Commissioners informed him that they can proceed with the changes for the Probation Department.
Mr. Fields shared a quote for cabinets in Veterans Memorial Hall for consideration with the kitchen remodel. Commissioners felt the quote was significantly higher than expected and asked Mr. Fields to pursue other options.
Fay Almond entered the meeting at 9:07 a.m.
Mr. Fields asked about soap and paper towel dispensers for the Justice Center and it was decided that he will purchase the same as what was installed in the Annex. Commissioner Bertling then asked about the heat source in the hair salon at the Restorium. Mr. Fields stated that the wiring would still be in place, but the heat unit was removed before the memory care side was implemented. Commissioner Bertling said now that the doors have to remain closed for memory care, the room was cold. Mr. Fields said they could install a PTAC unit.
Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:14 a.m.
The meeting with Mr. Fields ended at 9:15 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:28 a.m. and stated that he had sent the basic procedures for creating fire districts and noted that it was a bigger roll for the Clerk than Commissioners. Ms. Poston replied that they have been told that they need to secure their boundaries. Mr. Wilson replied they will need both a map and legal description for the State Tax Commission or they will not accept it.
Ms. Poston said that we will also need to verify signatures and that the addresses on the petition are in the proposed district. Mr. Wilson added that the Commissioners would then set the cost. The sticking point for many was the cost of the survey to create the metes and bounds. The county cannot do that for them. They should also have an attorney helping them through the process.
Mr. Wilson then reviewed election season items regarding Sunshine Law and Electioneering. It was that time of year, so he wanted to remind everyone. Commissioner Pinkerton updated Mr. Wilson on the hospital meeting stating that the CEO was going to absorb the CFO position to save money.
Debra Dreger with Addressing entered the meeting at 9:54 a.m.
The meeting with Mr. Wilson ended at 9:55 a.m. and he left the meeting.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Certificate of Residency for Giavanna Roemer. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Resolution 2026-31 Increasing the Current Expense Budget Due to Receipt of Unanticipated Revenue. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION 2026-31
INCREASING THE CURRENT EXPENSE 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 Current Expense Fund, for fiscal year 2025-2026, and
WHEREAS, Boundary County has received a grant in the amount of $2,500.00 from the State of Idaho, America 250 EUNA Celebration Funds, and
WHEREAS, the Boundary County Current Expense 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 Current Expense Fund as follows:
Revenue Account Number Expense Account Number
0001-00-0391-0000 0001-18-0559-0000 $2,500.00
NOW THEREFORE, upon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously carried,
IT IS RESOLVED, that the increase to the Boundary County Current Expense Fund Revenue Account Numbers and the Boundary County Current Expense Fund 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 4th 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 #303025
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Emergency Plan for the Courthouse. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Ms. Almond and Mr. Lamberty left the meeting at 9:58 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to distribute the Emergency Plan electronically. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
At 10:00 a.m. Commissioners held a public hearing for a proposed private road renaming of Charlie Lane to Cloudcroft Circle. Those present were: Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Commissioner Lester Pinkerton, Clerk Glenda Poston, Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims, and Debra Dreger with Addressing. The hearing was recorded.
Chairman Robertson opened the hearing and asked for the staff report. Ms. Dreger stated that the road name change was requested because the applicant had changed his mind from his original request. The name met ordinance and no addresses have been assigned to date. The staff recommended approval and no comments were received from the public.
Commissioner Pinkerton moved to approve the road name change request of applicant Dave Bagenski, Charlie Lane, to be changed to Cloudcroft Circle as it meets Boundary County Uniform Address and street Naming Ordinance 2007-6. Staff was directed to prepare written findings and decision. Commissioner Bertling second. Motion passed unanimously.
The hearing ended at 10:05 a.m. and Ms. Dreger left the meeting.
Trey Dail with Ardurra entered the meeting at 10:20 a.m.
Airport Manager Dave Parker entered the meeting at 10:29 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling moved to award the airport runway rehab/extension bid to J7 Contracting Inc.
Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the notice of Award. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign FAA Request for Concurrence. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve the Construction Agreement. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Parker and Mr. Dail were pleased with the amount of the bid because that meant all of it could be awarded this year at 95% cash match verses next year at 90%. Mr. Parker added that the buyer for Northern Air was moving forward and had received the SBA loan he had applied for. Mr. Parker will work with the attorney on the documents needed for the transfer.
The meeting with Mr. Parker and Mr. Dail ended at 10:41 a.m. and they left the meeting.
EDC Director David Sims entered the meeting at 10:45 a.m.
At 11:00 a.m. Mr. Sims said that the Commerce Connection was very well attended and the Director stated it was the best that they have had. The Moyie Post Office was still waiting for a contract. The City of Bonners Ferry was considering upgrades for Bonner St to tackle the drainage and sidewalk issues. They were considering different funding options.
Both a private entity and the Chamber of Commerce have expressed interest in taking over the Visitor Center. Ms. Poston asked how that will mesh with the original intent. Mr. Sims replied that ITD has given their approval. Chairman Robertson asked what the foot traffic was and Mr. Sims replied that it was a few hundred per week. Tourism was changing and printed collateral was not as popular. The city was considering a self-serve kiosk.
The Moyie sewer rate was set at $80 per connection, with the industrial connection possibly paying more. Idaho Rural Wastewater may perform a rate study for them to help determine where the rate should be.
The two block grants and their addendums have been emailed. Amounts were then discussed to include for the tree grants.
Panhandle Health District Director Erik Ketner and Fiscal Officer Christine Crummer entered the meeting at 11:15 a.m.
Commissioner Bertling asked about local nurseries donating trees and a plaque could be placed recognizing the donation. Mr. Sims replied that he will check with IDL to see what amounts were reasonable to include.
Commissioner Bertling moved to approve the IDL grant application for tree removal/replacement. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
PHD Medical Director Dr. Greg Pinnock and PHD Board Chair Dr. Thomas Fletcher entered the meeting at 11:20 a.m.
The meeting with Mr. Sims ended at 11:25 p.m. and he left the meeting.
Bonners Ferry Herald Reporter Noah Harris entered at 11:29 a.m.
Dr. Fletcher stated that the format they were presenting was a little different than it has been in the past. The reason was because of some substantial changes to the clinical program which the Medical Director will address for you. He added that the bottom line was that they would be doubling their clinical services, but were not asking for any additional funding from the county.
Mr. Ketner reviewed the handout they provided. He said there have been a number of changes so they created a sub committee to help with the budgetary process. The full board then approved the items presented. Statutorily, they receive part of their funding from the counties that they serve. Over the last 10 years they have averaged -0.47% decrease for Boundary County. PHD FY27 Operating Budget breakdown was 44% from contracts and grants, 32% from fees, 18% county funding, 4% from board committed or program restricted and 2% from interest. They were proposing a 6% increase in total expenditures over FY26. He added that money would be pulled from reserves for increased clinical services. They have 90 employees and were proposing adding 4 or 5 more.
Chairman Robertson expressed concern over taking money from the reserves to stand up clinical services. He asked what the outlook was to sustain that. Dr. Pennock said he would cover that in his portion of the presentation.
Chairman Robertson asked about the vote of the health board and if it was unanimous or split. Mr. Ketner stated that some were absent, but of those present it was unanimous. It was also noted that Commissioner Bertling was absent from that meeting.
Mr. Ketner then noted that to evaluate the budget amount by county they use population and valuation. Population was projected to reduce slightly and valuation would increase by 5%. The total overall request from Boundary County would be $99,299.00 which was a decrease of $1,287.00.
Dr. Pennock then spoke about their vision for clinical services. He stated they spent a lot of time asking what should public health look like and he was excited about the results. The synopsis was that they are trying to solve some health care problems including access to care, gaps in service or image/marketing.
Mr. Harris left the meeting at 11:50 a.m.
They are early in this process but would like to focus on prioritizing patient’s rights, patient’s autonomy and develop a health metric to see the deliverables. They have not spoken to communities yet, but were considering expanding women’s health, pediatrics, and hiring a marketing position. The goal of the budget was to have a neutral practice. He added that if they came back next year and had not reached that goal, you should let him go and hire someone else. He believed in it that much.
Chairman Robertson asked what services would be offered in Boundary County. Dr. Pennock replied that they would like to look at pediatrics, women’s health, and chronic disease. So much of public health has been focused on infectious disease, but he felt we need to focus on chronic disease and lifestyle changes for better health.
Chairman Robertson asked how they would get this out to the public. Dr. Pennock replied that they would like to hire a PEO and attend health fairs, print, tv, and web advertising, and all social media platforms. We would be looking for the right person to do that.
Commissioner Pinkerton discussed the hospital and issues with uncompensated care. People are using the emergency room as their primary care. Dr. Pennock replied that we need to find the gaps for this county and fill what was not being offered or not efficient. Idaho was 50th in primary care physicians, which was causing people to seek other options.
Chairman Robertson expressed his concerns of getting a return on their investment within one year and using reserve funds to do it. He asked what happens after that, how many years can you sustain and still pull money from reserves. Dr. Pennock used the private sector as a comparison. He would like to put the private sector model into the entrepreneurial of public health. It was a lofty goal, but he felt they could do it.
Chairman Robertson asked how much they currently had in reserves. Ms. Crummer replied March 2026 numbers were 3.29 months and the goal was to never go below 3.25 months. She added that grants can impact that number.
Commissioner Bertling said you have roughly 90 days cash on hand. He also expressed concerns over using reserves. Chairman Robertson said I understand you are trying to do a private model on a public entity, but what was the financial stability of the district if that fails. Dr. Fletcher replied that the clinic would be just one factor and the majority of their income was from other areas.
Commissioner Pinkerton said that in comparison our hospital loses money on Medicare and Medicaid patients. Dr. Fletcher replied that they would be focusing on alternative or homeopathic medicine so they might be offering something different that people were looking for. A year ago, he thought they would be eliminating the program, but he felt differently now. Dr. Pennock said there are issues with access to care, gaps in the care that was offered, and if we can find a feasible way to fill that gap- we should do it.
Mr. Ketner stated that more information would be coming soon regarding the meeting where the budget will be presented for a vote.
The meeting with Panhandle Health ended at 12:30 p.m. and everyone left the meeting.
The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:31 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 and Bridge Superintendent Brad Barton and Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals entered the meeting at 1:25 p.m. Mr. Barton said the crushing at the pit was going smooth and they have continued to haul/stock pile rock where needed. Some dura patching has been done, but there haven’t been many pot holes this year. Commissioner Pinkerton stated that he had driven Turner Hill and it was in good shape.
For Solid Waste they took the compactor truck over to the shop and shared photos of the rust. They are going through it to see what else it needs and put together and estimate on the repairs. Commissioners asked for comparisons on repairs verses a used replacement.
Mr. Ryals then shared the agreement for asphalt.
Commissioner Bertling moved to sign the Independent Contractor Agreement for Woods Crushing and Hauling for Asphalt. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Ryals said that CAT offers a grader training course in Spokane. At the end of the course, you are a certificated grader operator. Commissioner Bertling asked if they knew anyone who had gone though the course to get testimonials. Mr. Barton said he didn’t but would check into that.
Mr. Ryals stated that the engineers and DEQ will be out this week for gas monitoring.
The meeting with Mr. Barton and Mr. Ryals ended at 1:50 p.m. and they left the meeting.
Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 2:15 p.m. and provided timesheets and job postings for Commissioners to review. She informed them that the Classification Committee meeting had been rescheduled for Thursday.
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 2:38 p.m. and Ms. Barton left the meeting. No action was taken.
At 2:45 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 3:37 p.m. No action was taken.
The meeting adjourned at 4:03 p.m.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
There were no items on the agenda, therefore the Commissioners did not meet.
s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman
ATTEST:
s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk