***Monday, November 17, 2025 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.

Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 8:55 a.m.

Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Certificates of Residency for Ethan Cowell and Erin Carpenter. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to sign Commissioner meeting minutes from the week of November 10th. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to consider recommendation of the Board of Community Guardians to appoint Sue Larson and Dan Dinning to three-year terms ending January 2028. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to sign contract with B.F. Builders for remodel of County Justice Building. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to designate Bullinger for special inspections for Justice Building Project. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to sign County Annual Juvenile Justice Report to Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Fay Almond entered the meeting at 9:05 a.m.

Chairman Robertson discussed the classification change for the Sheriff’s Department. He stated it was included in their budget and Sheriff Stolley, Commissioners and Ms. Poston all took part in the conversations. However, the paperwork was never submitted to officially make the change.

Chairman Bertling moved to approve the classification change for the Sheriff’s Department with an effective date retroactive to October 1, 2025. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to sign final financial statements for 65S AIP 023 SF-271 and 65S AIP 023 SF-425 for slope stabilization. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Greg Lamberty entered the meeting at 9:17 a.m.

Civil Attorney Bill Wilson entered the meeting at 9:29 a.m. Mr. Wilson stated that he was away last week due to a case before the Supreme Court and training. Before he left, he sat down with R&B about a pending matter for Riverside and will follow up this week. He noted that the Resolution was completed.

Ms. Poston had questions regarding redactions and Mr. Wilson suggested an executive session should be scheduled to discuss.
Mr. Wilson also stated that he was included on communication regarding financing equipment for Solid Waste and had reviewed the letter from DEQ. Ms. Poston stated that the auditor still has not yet responded to the question and she will contact him again.

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 and (d) to consider records that are exempt from disclosure as provided in chapter 1, title 74, Idaho Code. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. The executive session ended at 10:02 a.m.

Commissioner Bertling moved to proceed as directed. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Chief Jeff Lindsey entered the meeting at 10:03 a.m.

Commissioner Bertling moved to recess as the Boundary County Board of Commissioners and convene as the Boundary County Ambulance Service District Governing Board. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Commissioner Bertling moved to approve minutes from October 20, 2025. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Motion passed unanimously.

Bonners Ferry Herald reporter, Noah Harris entered at 10:04 a.m.

Chief Lindsey stated he had received information to consider withdrawal from the URD and could provide information on the process from Bonner County if that was helpful. He estimated the amount was about $9,000.00.

Chairman Robertson stated the deadline was in May.

Ms. Poston said it was good to start the conversation early and she suggested having a member of the URD board attend the next meeting to discuss it further.

Chairman Robertson asked David Sims to be included in the December meeting and add the URD topic to the agenda.

Chief Lindsey stated that it was a slow time of year for them and he has been working on budget items. He added that they are fully staffed.

The meeting with Chief Lindsey ended at 10:08 a.m. and he left the meeting.

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.

Bonners Ferry District Forest Ranger Heather Fuller entered the meeting at 10:27 a.m.

KVRI Facilitator Theresa Wheat entered the meeting at 10:31 a.m.

Ms. Wheat handed out the agenda for the KVRI meeting and reviewed the items listed. She stated that they will have presentations regarding the Kootenai Refuge Habitat Restoration Project by Brandon Diller, Water Operations by Leon Basdekas with the USACE, and a report on the upgrades at Twin Rivers Resort and the Guardians of the Forest Documentary.

The meeting with Ms. Wheat ended at 10:36 a.m. and she left the meeting.

Ms. Fuller stated that the Katkee fuels project has been signed and public notice would go out today. The first sale was planned for 2027, which will give them time to get the BMU into compliance. The public comment ended on November 14 for Moyie Meadows and she will share the comments with Commissioners.

Chairman Robertson asked where the funding was coming from for Katkee. Ms. Fuller responded that they are starting with the traditional sale and then moving to the helicopter portion. Chairman Robertson asked if funding could affect the helicopter portion. Ms. Fuller replied yes. Chairman Robertson asked if any other signatures were needed for the project. Ms. Fuller replied no other signatures are required.

Commissioner Pinkerton asked if there has been any movement on the Kootenai for Knotty Pine, their biggest issue was the unauthorized motor use. Ms. Fuller replied that was an important reason the BMU needed to be up to date. She added that illegal motorized use was a challenge and she felt that was a good topic for KVRI to tackle and discuss.

Commissioner Bertling stated that he wished they would re-evaluate the use of the roads and gates because it doesn’t make sense. The bears go where they want.

Ms. Fuller stated that Moyie Meadow was moving forward with the first sale tentatively for the 4th quarter of 2026. If the GNA was in place with the County, they can assist with that. Otherwise, they will pivot to have her staff handle it. She would prefer however, to keep them on larger projects.

Chairman Robertson asked who the signers would be for the GNA. Ms. Fuller stated that she thought that would be Tim Giloon. She stated that there was a draft agreement circulating, but she had not seen it yet. It does include timber, vegetation, and recreation.

Commissioner Pinkerton asked about a timeline for the GNA. Ms. Fuller thought it would be signed by spring. Once the agreement was in place, they can look at the funding and how to fill the gaps.

Commissioner Pinkerton asked about direct sales. Ms. Fuller stated that she has the authority to approve projects of a certain size, but would need to look at those details to answer further.

Mr. Harris left the meeting at 10:55 a.m.

Lastly, Ms. Fuller stated that they have completed 300 acres of prescribed burn which was considerably less than they typically do. That was because there were additional requirements that have not been needed previously.

The meeting with Ms. Fuller ended at 11:03 a.m. and she left the meeting.

Solid Waste Superintendent Richard Jenkins entered the meeting at 11:21 a.m.

Mr. Jenkins stated that to make the fee fair and equitable across the board, he built an algorithm. Chairman Robertson asked him to go into detail about how he did that. Mr. Jenkins stated that he used the three businesses that have compacted garbage to determine how many pounds per cubic yard. From that he was able to get the tonnage per year to determine what the charge should be. Mr. Jenkins stated we are then comparing apples to apples so it was equal across the board.

Chairman Robertson stated what he needed to do was figure out what the amount needed was and then base the rates on that. Mr. Jenkins replied that there was a lot of data that needed to be input and the algorithm would need to be built first.

Chairman Robertson stated that with your approach, the numbers goes up significantly. We are looking to break even. Mr. Jenkins replied that you will need to cover the expansion and studies show the average resident brings in more garbage than we are charging for.

Chairman Robertson stated that the approach was flawed and the amounts owed need to be based on actual numbers. Chairman Robertson told him to choose a few per week until we have a solid number.

Mr. Jenkins stated that the average won’t matter, it will need to be based off of the amount they generate and an outside engineer will tell us what the rate should be. Chairman Robertson stated that we can’t get that until you have analyzed the data and we don’t need an outside company to do that.

Commissioner Bertling asked how close are you to getting the air burner running. Mr. Jenkins replied how close are you to getting an agreement with DEQ. Commissioners replied that at the last meeting with DEQ, they didn’t see any problems with the system being tested and used.

Mr. Jenkins replied that he would have to go out for bids to get a water line put in. Chairman Robertson said that should be done in house. Mr. Jenkins replied that they didn’t have time to do that.

Commissioner Pinkerton asked about the compactor. Mr. Jenkins stated that it was still being worked on and the parts were coming from overseas.

The meeting with Mr. Jenkins ended at 11:45 a.m. and he left the meeting.

The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:01 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.

The 1:30 p.m. appointment with Road & Bridge was cancelled due to illness.

Personnel Director Pam Barton entered the meeting at 1:58 p.m.

Commissioner Pinkerton 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 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 Bertling second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Robertson “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. The executive session ended at 2:25 p.m. No action was taken.

Sheriff Travis Stolley entered the meeting at 2:27 p.m.

Sheriff Stolley stated that Clerk Poston had answered some of his earlier concerns about holiday pay. He still felt we needed to clarify timesheets. Ms. Poston replied that they would like to come over and meet with the employees in smaller groups if possible. Sheriff Stolley recommended by department.

Sheriff Stolley stated that his department doesn’t work 8-hour shifts, so he didn’t feel the holiday pay was fair to them. Ms. Barton stated that there are other departments that also don’t work 8-hour shifts but this policy that was approved quite some time ago, it was also included in the personnel handbook. Ms. Poston agreed that other departments had employees that work more than an 8-hour shift. What you need to remember was that the employee was paid time and a half for the hours they worked on the holiday, plus they received an additional 8 hours of holiday pay. No one took anything away from them, they were paid for the time they worked, plus they received 8 additional hours.

Sheriff Stolley stated that it was frustrating to have to turn in the timesheets early. Ms. Poston explained why that was the case. Ms. Barton added that many departments have changes. If you have an employee that has a change, they will need to send an email explaining the change so it can be adjusted on the next pay period.

Chairman Robertson explained that the railroad had a very similar policy for holiday pay. The employees are paid time and a half for the time that they worked, and holiday pay was on top of that. They are not being docked in any way.

Sheriff Stolley thanked them for their time and said he wanted to start this conversation to try to figure out the issues so we can move forward.

The meeting with Sheriff Stolley ended at 3:00 p.m. and he left the meeting.

At 4:00 p.m. 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. Commissioner Pinkerton second. Commissioners voted as follows: Chairman Roberton “aye”, Commissioner Bertling “aye”, Commissioner Pinkerton “aye”. The executive session ended at 4:48 p.m. No action was taken.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:02 p.m.

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 Commissioners met in regular session with Chairman Ben Robertson, Commissioner Tim Bertling, Clerk Glenda Poston, and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims. Commissioner Lester Pinkerton was absent for the morning session.
At 9:00 a.m. Commissioners held an elected officials/department head meeting. Those present were: IT Director Matt Hodges, Noxious Weed Superintendent Dave Wenk, Assessor Olivia Drake, U of I Educator Amy Robertson, Road & Bridge Assistant Superintendent Adam Ryals, Solid Waste Superintendent Richard Jenkins, Treasurer Jenny Economu, Personnel Director Pam Barton, and Probation Officer Alisa Walker.

Commissioners went around the room for office updates from the various departments in attendance.

The meeting ended at 9:21 a.m. and the elected officials/department heads left the meeting except for Amy Robertson.

At 9:30 a.m. Ms. Robertson provided an update for the Extension Office. She stated that since September they have held several workshops and classes. The month of September included growing garlic, beneficial and harmful insects, chainsaw basics, master gardener trainings and organic gardening. October included a master food advisory session and food safety, Ladies Night at ProX where Ms. Robertson provided canning demonstrations. The month of November was when she finishes up her reporting for the year which included 394 teaching contacts.

Looking forward the Fall/Winter classes will include holiday food, mental health, safe gifts from the kitchen, gifts in a jar, suicide prevention classes, pressure canning, basic dehydration, freeze drying and cooking and preserving. 4H enrollment was open and the new 4H coordinator was doing well.

The meeting with Ms. Robertson ended at 9:48 a.m. and she left the meeting.

The meeting recessed at 10:55 a.m.

Commissioners reconvened for the afternoon session at 1:30 p.m. with Chairman Robertson, Commissioner Bertling, Commissioner Pinkerton and Deputy Clerk Stephanie Sims.

Eric Sjoquist with IDL entered the meeting at 1:11 p.m.

Chad Ramsey and Ryan Schulze with IDL entered the meeting at 1:13 p.m.

Bryan Keough and Bill Pittman with Stimson entered the meeting at 1:15 p.m.

Assessor Olivia Drake entered the meeting at 1:22 p.m.

Scooter Drake with the snowmobile board entered the meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Chairman Robertson stated that the groomer agreements with both entities had expired and they wished to discuss them and get the process going to have them renewed.

Mr. Keough stated that he was fairly certain the agreement with Stimson was good until 2026, but he was not able to find a signed copy. Chairman Robertson stated that our records show it was expired.

Chairman Robertson asked if they would consider opening the bottom gate on Falls Creek so that they could chase snow. Mr. Keough stated that chasing snow makes him nervous because of damage to roads.

Chairman Robertson understood that when the roads were soft, but once it gets cold could they open the gate. Mr. Keough stated that I think we need to stay consistent with what we have done in the past unless we get more rock on the road. We also run into the potential to get off of the designated routes.

Commissioner Bertling asked if Stimson would be willing to consider a road agreement with the county to throw rock down and repair areas that were damaged. Mr. Keough stated he would have to look at what was allowed in the coop agreement.

Chairman Robertson said that what we are looking at was if someone were to rut up the road, the county could go in and fix that. Mr. Keough stated that I don’t believe the agreement would allow that. Mr. Sjoquist also agreed with that assessment. Commissioners asked them to consider a year-to-year agreement with the County to fix the damage associated.

Chairman Robertson asked if they would be able to get from Pack River to Falls Creek. Mr. Keough stated that was allowed the last few seasons and the plan would not change. The tank traps can be filled with snow. Eventually those will go away, but for now that was how we have handled it. Mr. Keough stated that if they are not able to locate a current agreement, they will forward a new one over for one-year to keep it on the same cycle.

Chairman Robertson then told Mr. Sjoquist that the County would also like to renew their permit and chase snow up Ruby Creek. Mr. Sjoquist stated they would have the same problem with road damage. He also added that Mr. Schulze will be the new contact for leasing and permits.

Mr. Ramsey stated that they have put another agreement together but wanted to note that one of the terms was that there needs to be 16 inches of snow cover before the gates are opened. Chairman Robertson stated it was pretty rare to get that amount of snow in the valley anymore. If the gate was at 4500 feet it would be a different story. We are trying to help people reach the snow. Chairman Robertson added that just past the bridge there was a landing pile which was a traditional spot for parking trailers. If we could at least get to that point, the road was pretty decent. Mr. Keough stated that he doesn’t have time to check road conditions and can’t police what people are doing and where they are doing it. If we are chasing snow for 2-days too long, we then are in a situation to fix roads.

Chairman Robertson said that he could see limiting it to day users, but the groomers are responsible. Trust them to swing the gate shut when they think it was too soft. If the gate was shut, this conversation was useless because we don’t get enough snow to get there. Mr. Pittman stated that was tough because they were responsible for the land. Chairman Robertson asked where the Stimson land started. Mr. Keough replied that it was a checkerboard and it was up to IDL to open the gate or not.

Chairman Robertson stated the road was solid at the bottom. Mr. Keough replied that it depends on the day. There are some areas that are not. Chairman Robertson stated let’s continue with the agreements we had, but we would like to continue this conversation moving forward.

Mr. Sjoquist stated that he talked to Todd about the grooming permit and discussed funds in the endowments for an exclusive lease and if recreation could pay for grading. He thought they could, but would have to investigate further on cost. Mr. Keough stated that chasing snow makes me nervous. The continued maintenance was expensive.

Commissioner Bertling asked if they could use Park & Rec money for motorized access to upgrade the road so it was bullet proof so they could chase snow. Mr. Keough stated that he would have to take it back and discuss it with others.

Chairman Robertson stated that it didn’t use to be this way. Ten years ago, the gates were open year-round. Mr. Keough stated there have been management changes and an increasing amount of pressure on ways of travel in the woods by motorized means. The traffic increase has been substantial.

Chairman Robertson replied that leads to the frustration. The honest people are locked out and the dishonest people are getting through and there was no one there to police them. Mr. Keough stated he understood their concerns.

Mr. Sjoquist stated that they had people, but they don’t have police powers. They have to report back with license plate numbers and we use trail cams. Fish & Game then writes the tickets.

Mr. Drake asked if the road was closed because of inadequate snow, can they move the groomer up to other areas. Mr. Ramsey replied yes, we have always allowed that in the past. Mr. Keough also confirmed that he was fine with the groomer chasing snow. He gets nervous with pickups and trailers.

Commissioner Bertling replied that he would like to have more meetings to discuss getting grant money to have road work done to allow access.

Commissioners then reviewed the permit presented by IDL. It was noted that the permit was for one year and Commissioners will meet with IDL 2-3 times per year. The County pays the $1,000 fee and that fee was then reimbursed to the County from the licensing pool. Signs need to be in place to stay on the trail and the Snowmobile Board will check that those are still in place once it gets cold. Regular patrols need to be made by the Sheriff’s Department. The groomer was allowed access with less than 16 inches of snow, but gate would not be opened to the public until 16 inches was on the ground.

The meeting with IDL and Stimson ended at 2:32 p.m. and everyone left the meeting.

There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 2:40 p.m.

s/________________________________
BEN ROBERTSON, Chairman

ATTEST:

s/_______________________________
GLENDA POSTON, Clerk
By: Stephanie Sims, Deputy Clerk