Caribou County Board of Commissioners September 30
A regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners was held on September 30. The minutes and payroll claims were approved. Among the issues discussed by commissioners were IDAWY Landfill rates, the state-mandated Ag Protection Area Ordinance, and various city projects affecting the county.
Road and Bridge
Bids for AC machines have been received. A mobile version was quoted at $1,741, while other options were determined to be more expensive. Road and Bridge recommended the mobile version.
The M series grader was reported to be close to 10K hours, and starting to “show its age.” It’s having some running issues. It has been pushed back to the shop once, and has a low idle. It uses oil pressure to drive the injectors. The pressure-control solenoid may be having some problems. Some of the injectors are also probably due for replacement. The parts cost were estimated at $8-10K. Right now, RB won’t be able to get to the repairs soon, and it will need to be sent into CAT for a “midlife” overhaul. It is one of the graders that is not six wheel drive. The sales rep does have two graders available, if the county decides not to invest money into a machine that is aged and for which there is a chance that the repair costs won’t be recouped within the machine’s life. The commissioners requested numbers for the various options before they went forward.
Two DPFs have been replaced on a couple of semis. There is possibly another one that might need it.
A system for tracking the county’s vehicle maintenance schedules was discussed.
Routes for winter snowplowing were discussed, including sections that potentially overlap with Bonneville county. A turnaround will potentially need to be established in order to service some of the areas. Snow removal payments go directly into Road and Bridge.
The Long Valley road has been reported to be in need of grading. It is reported to be rough at the moment.
Commissioner Somsen asked whether the department had heard of the CAT buy-back program that some counties have reportedly been using. Taylor said he would run it past Kevin McClain.
A recent retirement from the Road and Bridge department, as well as the recent passing of Tracy Josephson, will necessitate hiring by the department to return to full staffing.
Sheriff’s Report
Sheriff Adam Mabey spoke to the commissioners about a number of issues.
The sheriff stated that several ordinances he has been working on have been given to Attorney Wood for review.
Mabey reported that Dispatch is down one employee, and a potential new hire has withdrawn from consideration, but that Detention is fully staffed.
The sheriff spoke about the incident involving livestock killing in the county. He mentioned that the matter had been shared with Crimestoppers, and that his department as well as other agencies are investigating the criminal killing of livestock.
Camera systems were discussed. The cost of in-car cameras from the current provider have increased, and another company has potentially been considered for the next round.
The proposal is for ten in-car cameras, and nineteen body cams. The current cameras have been reported to be failing. Motorola has offered the sheriff a $50K savings incentive plus a $4k trade-in. The amount cited was $132,820, which could be paid all at once or in installments. Mabey proposed to begin the process by agreeing to the contract. The $50K incentive was due to expire soon. There are also software problems with the current setup, in terms of compatibility. The Sheriff expressed the belief that his budget should be able to cover the amount needed for the cameras. The cameras are an important part of protecting the county from liability. The total payment schedule would be for five years on a subscription plan.
Commissioner Somsen motioned to accept the bid from Motorola for $132,820 for the cameras, which was approved. Chairman Mathews signed the agreement on behalf of the county.
Weed Control
Dwight Lloyd spoke to the commissioners about enforcement costs, though he felt that the discussion needed the input of Attorney Wood, who would not be in attendance. The costs are related to weed abatement.
Landfill Fees
A public hearing regarding landfill fees was opened. Jason Lower was in attendance to discuss the change in fees. No public feedback has been received by the county about the change. The change in fees is over the 5 percent threshold, so a hearing will be required each time the fee is increased. For the Grays Lake area, the fee will be increased to $180/yr at the end of three years, with $60/yr each year.
The cost to trailer parks and apartment owners will see a large increase. It was suggested that a gradual increase could be applied to trailer parks and apartments as well. $105 per unit increases will be attached to bring those per unit costs to $180. The county officials expressed the belief that the rapid, substantial increase was too extreme and should be staggered rather than done all at once.
Jason Lower, representing IDAWY spoke on the increases. He suggested that IDAWY was most interested in fairness across the board for customers. “We’re just trying to make it fair,” he said.
Changes to tire fees were also discussed, and will be published soon.
The public hearing was closed, and the fees will be restructured and published.
EMS
Eric Hobson spoke to the commissioners about a number of issues.
Hobson stated that radio purchases of “old-new stock” and refurbished units ended up saving money over new stock.
The purchase of 19 radios from Motorola was approved.
EMS entered executive session with the county commissioners to interview for an opening in the department. Planning and Zoning; Ag Protection Act
Helen Barker of Planning and Zoning spoke to the commissioners about a number of issues, including changes to an ordinance’s wording, and the creation of an Ag Protection Area Ordinance.
The Ag Protection Act (House Bill 2023-377) requires an ordinance to be created at the county commission level to outline the county’s implementation of APAs (Agricultural Protection Areas). The ordinance will be required to follow standard noticing and hearing procedures, and according to the act, must be in place by January 1, 2025. The stated purpose of the act is “to preserve farmland,” and it allows for county residents to pursue designation of land as Protected Ag land on which “county boards must not enact local laws that restrict farming practices or structures.” The APA does not provide any financial incentives to those who seek an APA designation. The committee will need 3-5 people from the community with ties to the Ag community. The committee will be separate from the PZ board, and will set the specific terms that will regulate how the status will be sought and granted or denied within the county. It will also need to be determined what the minimum and maximum timeframes for the status will be.
Commissioner Somsen reported that a number of counties had stated that they did not think the issue was applicable to them, as the concept of protecting Ag land was already a component of their comprehensive plans. Somsen felt that this would potentially open the county up to issues related to eminent domain, which he feels is not the purpose of the legislation. The commissioners felt that they needed to read through the material more thoroughly before appointing members to the board.
A public hearing would be needed to put the Ag Protection board into the comprehensive plan. The exact extent to which the board needed to be established alongside the ordinance was noted as somewhat unclear. The Ag Protection bill is designed to protect historically Ag land from urban encroachment.
The commissioners also felt that the statute mirrored in large part the direction that the county was moving in terms of agricultural protection.
The county considered holding the formation of the board until an application is submitted for the protection. “I just don’t like them mandating something that only affects a tiny portion of the state. This mold just doesn’t quite fit us,” Chairman Mathews said.
Barker also noted that MR&E will no longer be offering porta potty cleaning services. The full contract amount is likely to be under the $50K threshold to require bids. MR&E stated that the contract runs from May to September, and a new service provider will be sought to account for county facilities affected. Search and Rescue—Walter Kuchler
Walter Kuchler is a volunteer for SR. He spoke to the commissioners about the Search and Rescue building, which he felt might not withstand an earthquake. Some concerns about a safe place to park for SR volunteers and employees was discussed.
City of Soda Springs—Alan Skinner
City Engineer Alan Skinner spoke to the commission on behalf of the city about Main Street, as well as the Ledger Creek trail project.
Engineer Skinner updated the commissioners on the Main Street project. A shared cost proposal by the city council was presented to the board. Conduits on the west side are being put in today. Lights on Main Street will come from LEDs. Concrete will be put in this week. Within two weeks, the west side of the road should be nearing completion, and the project will move to the east side. Flashing crosswalk signs will be installed outside the rock house. The commission was asked whether they would also like one, at a cost of $11K.
Sewer hookups will be put up to the courthouse. The city would like to separate the roof drains from the sewer system. The current setup creates an extra cost for running the rainwater through the treatment plant. Where the roof could tie into the storm drain system was discussed.
The city will give notice to the county on the days when concrete will be poured, so that it does not create any problems with the court calendar.
The cost sharing proposal from the county was reviewed by the commissioners. Buildings owned by the county were included in the arrangement. The city council proposed $468K from the county in contribution for the project.
Engineer Skinner reported that he applied for a grant to put in trails south of the hospital area to the airport area for a total of 20K feet of trail, with a tree every 50 feet. The project was agreed to be a good one, considering the number of people who walk in the area. This will occur on the 680 acres donated to the city by Nutrien. The grant doesn’t pay for buildings or equipment.
The city is asking stakeholders for input and participation in the project.
Engineer Skinner suggested that an in-kind donation from the county to load and deliver silica sand would be very helpful. The commission felt that they would be willing to provide that in-kind work if able.
Commissioner Somsen questioned the city’s request for the county to pay for the city water hookup costs, and the issue was discussed. The matter will be returned to in a future meeting.
Aaron Cook—Computer purchase
A quote for a new computer for the GIS audit came back for $1,977 for a business PC. A motion to approve the purchase passed.
Jill Stoor
Clerk Stoor reported that the county had received the Ada County Pathology agreement. The state has approached Bannock county about the idea of re-opening the center in the county. Talks are apparently open again about moving forward with the project, which was scuttled earlier in the year.
The levy rates from 2019 to present were presented to the commission. The levy rate has gone down, which is a result of the increased value of the property.
An EMS grant for equipment and a sheriff’s grant through the state, which requires the signature of the auditor was signed.
