Caribou County Commission 10/14

Road and Bridge

Kevin McClain spoke to the county commissioners about the recent multi-county meeting he had attended, in which he had spoken to representatives from other counties.  Many other counties use a fully digital approach to record keeping and functionality.  Kade Lusk in Davisville is a CAT trainer.  Oneida and Franklin have had him come in to do blade operator/grader training.  The training runs approximately $1000 per person.  McClain suggested that a novice and beginner operator could be teamed up for the training.  Teaching new operators to run the current systems in place would make the process more efficient.  A total cost of $3000 to the county would be the outlay.  The commissioners approved the training.

The concrete work on the top of Fish Creek is making it difficult for some trucks to get into the county.  Trucks which need to come into the county through the alternative old highway need pilot vehicles due to the corners.  McClain raised the issue of potentially needing to regulate that route, though the commissioners opted to wait and see if the volume on the route would be enough to warrant it.  

A rumored windmill farm in Chesterfield on state land was discussed.  Caribou county has ordinances against large scale wind and solar operations.   A number of regulatory and other obstacles to such a project were noted by Commissioner Somsen.  A researcher from the company spent time last week at the courthouse looking into land ownership and other preliminary steps.  The commission felt that such a project was unlikely to move forward.

Dwight’s grader is in the process of being fixed.  A hydraulic cylinder was acting up, but should be up and running by next week.  One of the snowplows needs alignment adjustment.  

McClain was approached by Ray Mullen about leasing the red building for county vehicle storage/shop use.  The cost would be $11K/m.  There is a long drive-through bay, kitchen area, conference room, etc.  The commissioners didn’t feel that it would be well-suited to the county’s needs.

Fire/ambulance

Fire and Ambulance/EMS shared bids with the commissioners to replace old ambulance radios.  These radios are the in-ambulance radios, as opposed to the handheld ones that were approved during the last meeting.  

Eric Hobson is on site at the Slug Creek Fire.  

The rangers and county have been on site.  The fire is reported to be the result of a campfire that was not extinguished.

Rowdy Larkins—Maintenance/Building

The dept had a meeting with a company who might provide a new software suite.  Currently, the county uses iWorQ.  

Lundell’s has given the day of November 2 to begin the recently approved Event Center.  

Larkins discussed the Oregon Trail Marina project.  Kevin McClain mentioned that the county was still waiting on a state review by archeologists to approve the plans given the proximity to Oregon Trail historical sites.  

Road and Bridge Interviews

The county conducted interviews for Road and Bridge positions during the morning.  

City/County

Grace Mayor Jackie Barthlome appeared at the county commissioner meeting as a representative of the city.  The county has scheduled quarterly meetings to discuss any issues between the county and cities within.  It was agreed that there were no pressing issues of that sort at the moment. 

Public Hearing Landfill Fees

The county opened a public hearing on the landfill fees and rates in conjunction with IDAWY.  The  fees will be set for three years.  Apartment rates will be graduated to $100, $140, and $180 over the next three years. New rates for tires were included in the revised fee schedule.  

The floor was open for public comment, and there were no comments presented to the board.  

Jason Lower from IDAWY asked about the Freedom area, which is where the county line road divides the school district.  Billing would follow the same exemptions.  “In the past, we’ve always treated anyone on the Idaho side as in-county.”  It was agreed to follow the township line.

A motion to adopt the resolution 2024-07 was passed.    

Helen Barker, PZ

Barker has talked with a number of companies about taking on the county’s portable toilet service contract.  Bids are on the way from several potential providers.  

The issue of solar farms in the county has been raised throughout the community, and Barker informed the commission that there have been rumors of a solar farm being planned, though it was reported that while there may be some panels being placed in an area, it was not a “farm”.  The issue has become a significant one across the state over the past several years, with both private individuals and large-scale operations showing interest in locating such farms on rural lands.  Ordinances to prevent the creation of large energy farms have been passed in many counties, and the issue is likely to be explored again at the state level over the upcoming session.

An MOU regarding flood mitigation in the Grouse Creek area was discussed.  

The idea of posting signage detailing the types of structures allowed within the recreational subdivisions in the county was raised.  A sign company in Idaho Falls was suggested.  There are four such subdivisions in the county.  Pebble, Squaw Creek, Soda Springs, and Beaver
Dam Canyon.  

Aly Schwulst, GIS   

Schwulst spoke to the commissioners to coordinate a plan for an upcoming meeting on a new 911 system.  

Tom Calton, representing the state, spoke about the next generation 911.  He would like to have as many people as possible attend the meeting, especially those who are stakeholders in the 911 system.  Because each county has unique concerns and issues, he would prefer to meet with each county individually.  The meeting will be completely informational and should last around 2 hours.  

Attorney Doug Wood

County Attorney Doug Wood reported that he had attended a multi-jurisdictional training at the fire house.  The training included Franklin, Montpelier, Soda and Caribou County.  Jared Olson, of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association, provided a caselaw update for law enforcement.  

Jill Stoor, County Clerk

The commissioners and staff discussed cell phone service providers.

Stoor updated the commissioners on the current liquor license holders.  Because the state renewals just went through, the county would like to approve them for 2025.  A motion to do so was approved.

Certificate of residencies were approved.