Caribou County Commission—September 9
Kevin McLain
There are still some hot oil mix projects underway.
Two water trucks are out on the roads with the graders to add moisture to aid compaction. New snowplows are awaiting some parts before they can be fully operational. “We’re kind of gearing up for the dreaded winter time. We’ve been able to finish up all of our milling projects we wanted to get done.”
Dwight Lloyd—Weed control
Russian olive and other nuisance vegetation are spreading near Alexander reservoir. Myrtle spurge, Turkish Thistle, and others make the list of noxious weeds 77 at this point. “We’re losing ground on Highway 30 and 34.” “They only want to spray 30 feet off the white line.” Sagebrush can only be sprayed the first two weeks in June.
The Dodge pickup should be back this week.
Bonuses have to go through payroll.
Motion to enter project agreement for Timber Creek gravel pit with the Forest Service.
Rowdy Larkins
The majority of the courtroom flooring is finished. One concern is the judge’s chambers which needs a different colored molding. Some issues as far as trying to make the flooring match were discussed.
The molding/border is blond, rather than the darker wood of the rest of the flooring. Taking the wood off and sanding/staining it, or simply replacing it were options mentioned.
A motion to replace regulator on the generator for $2000 passed.
The county will need to replace the sewer/water from the street to the building as part of the Main Street construction project.
The tresses for the roof on the cinderblock building behind the fair expo building are on the way. The building, which is on the north end of the expo building, has been under construction for several months and is making good progress.
South of the expo building is the location of the new Event Center. Excavation on the new event center is waiting for a required boundary survey, but should be underway soon. The Event Center will bring a location to the county that can be used to serve multiple functions, and will serve in part as the headquarters of the Extension Office/4-H for the county. Other uses and applications have been parts of the ongoing discussion.
Eric Hobson
Eric Hobson spoke to the commission. The transmission to one of the firetrucks is in need of repair, the ECM for $6800. “On the pump trucks, it’s do that or buy a quarter million dollar truck,” Hobson said.
The department has had three internal and one external responses to the job posting for the department. Commissioner Somsen thinks they should begin interviewing by the next commission meeting.
The new hire would be covering day to day personnel and EMS management, billing, and other tasks. This may work out well with changed to the state system. The EMS pay was discussed. “We’re kind of weirdly paid over there,” Hobson said. The way that stipends are used to compensate volunteers in the EMS crew overlaps in some cases with regular pay. Wood stated that the pay structure needed to be made transparent during the interview process and stipulated in the offer letter. “As long as we’re up front and the employee agrees to it, we’re okay.”
County Attorney Doug Wood thinks that it’s likely that the county needs to be paying overtime. The issue is the stipend for EMS calls, which is paid in addition to county wages. Because they are employees, the situation is a little different than a standard volunteer. Discussion of what to do about the pay structure for volunteers who are also employees was scheduled for further exploration. Jill Stoor will consult with other clerks in the state about how they handle the situation. Commissioner Marty McCullough suggested that the County should establish an overtime policy to account for coverage outside of normal clocked hours.
The sheriff received a grant, but needs to raise their workers comp coverage in order to qualify. The increase was approved.
Helen Barker
A public hearing on the matter of Bradley D Miner was held. The amendment would change the property from low to high density residential. The property is located in Freedom. This will allow the land to be divided into plots on which his children could build homes. Concerns for the decision included the elk migration, etc.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Helen Barker stated that the PZ commission had denied the zone change. The PZ Commissioners felt that wildlife would be negatively impacted, among other issues.
The commissioners are concerned about water quality and safety.
There was some concern over the precedent this would set in terms of duplexes, and the road holding up. Miner stated that only 5 of the lots would be developed and the others would be left as agricultural.
Bradley D. Miner, of Morgan, Utah, spoke to the commission. “My desire from the beginning was the opportunity down the road to separate those into smaller acreages for myself and my children.” They were told by PZ that there had been prior allowances for lots less than 5 acres. Some of the objections were concerning to Miner.
Commissioner Somsen mentioned development in Teton County, which he characterized as negative, and said that Caribou wants to avoid it.
Miner expressed his frustration with the process, and asked what his options are for moving forward with the property.
Mathews stated that the comprehensive plan has been in place for years, and apologized for any miscommunication that may have occurred in the process.
One of the major issues was a road to access the lots, which is required to connect to a county road. Under the plan presented, this was not in place.
They can build on the two twenty acre lots.
Public hearing was ended.
Motion to deny the zoning amendment passed, i.e. the zoning change was disallowed in order to prevent spot zoning, etc. unanimously.
Melissa Gallegos
Melissa Gallegos of the Center for Hope South spoke to the commission to request funds from the county, specifically from the opioid fund. They serve 70-80 adults and 20-25 kids per month through various programs. Money from settlement is held in trust and not the normal budget. A motion to approve $5K from the opioid fund was approved.
Gallegos advised that the location had officially changed its name to Center for Hope South.
Extension Office
Rachel Hamilton spoke to the commission about the Cooperative agreement between the county and the University extension office program. A motion to approve the agreement with the U of I was approved.
She reported that there was about $4800 left in capital outlay. Extension Educator Justin Hatch wanted to know if it was okay to purchase tables and chairs for the facility. A purchase to that extent was approved.
Justin asked for market sale data to be shared. $260,345K plus dollars was the total placed on the market sale.
Aaron Cook
A bid for work on a vehicle was increased slightly. Repairs to a 2012 Ford Escape for Assessors Office for $1400 plus was approved.
Doug Wood
Doug Wood reported that the prosecutors office was busy. There has been what he called “an epidemic of DUIs” in the county. “For whatever reason, people don’t get that it’s not okay to drink and drive in the county. I’m going to start asking for more jail time for those to send a message that you guys know better.’” As far as civil issues, calls, department head concerns, etc. have kept the office busy. The IPAA (Idaho Prosecuting Attorneys Association) has been a good resource for answering some legal questions Wood has had. “It’s kind of neat to watch counties work together.”
Wood discussed a meeting regarding 4-H/Extension Office he was asked to attend. Some people had concerns about the way the market sale was conducted.
Jill Stoor
Stoor expressed her shock at the number of repeat DUIs.
The courts are going to be switched over to a cloud based system on October 2.
Certificate of residency presented for approval. Approved.
Release of Lien. 2008-10. Motion to release the lien was approved.
Public hearing for the landfill fees. Resolution for the public meeting presented.
Molly Besaris has not heard back yet on the Gem Grant applied for by the county.
Nick Evans wrote a letter to the county as a representative of D6 Drug Court. The letter requests the county supply an OWL (video camera device) for the Drug Court. The purchase would come out of the opioid fund. D6 handles drug court issues for several counties, including Caribou and Bannock. Bryce Somsen was cautious about setting a precedent for giving out those funds when there are other counties involved in D6. A motion to approve up to $1300 for the purchase of an OWL 4 for D6 Treatment passed.
Stoor has heard a complaint about an employee who was working from home rather than the office. Somsen related that the employee had recently had knee surgery.
Caribou County All-Hazard mitigation plan will have a kickoff meeting soon. The All-Hazard mitigation plan is a requirement for the county to qualify for federal funds related to emergency preparedness.
The clerk’s office is beginning to prep for the election on November 5, the first Tuesday after the first Monday. Clerks are attempting to create a more consistent election calendar.
Ranked Choice voting and open primary questions, as well as a school district bond and amendment issue will require a two page ballot. The school district is attempting a 50 million dollar bond.
