[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98,110],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6218955,"mediaKeyId","3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388","parentId",3624275,"title","Roads and Bridge reports paving, chip-seal and dust-abatement schedules but signals persistent staffing gaps","audioSeconds",317,"startMs",2955000,"endMs",3272000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388&start=2955&end=3272","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388/thumbnail_2955000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6218955/Bonner-County/Idaho/Roads-and-Bridge-reports-paving-chip-seal-and-dust-abatement-schedules-but-signals-persistent-staffing-gaps","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6218955-7ddc233760b8c2b16fc0bd26d54095b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720761&Signature=DD0PMw~kBTmpi1lUTQL~f0HxvNmlZlIPhTzjsu0JPmcqIk8RGCTLbVjnBuNQk-pzXITk2NhLJDyUg3kPD-p0HiOjD3m8soW~MltH8thB~p4r7s-lccq7ggZr9mayp00h75EWQ6LzTrckTA-N3TUw~0in72jkYEWzH4A2ZbD7~j2cf8sKlBqXFIbPUD~bOiWYCouJTPS~dWv9p0j9HuxpXxZ23s99f9RPfNTlmgwz8h3NjfmatdbwZ2R~dG6ki-vPpKhpoBa8E~hfCneET-9CtMrJKkN9m~LUo4XrDiZjGzCw~lLjj2JNibJLBC6nG5o--wQCociCTOPcwS3PbRPQhg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-03T09:06:53.137Z","article","Roads and Bridge and Public Works staff told the Board of Commissioners that multiple paving, BST (bituminous surface treatment) and chip-seal projects are underway or imminent, while dust-abatement and contractor coordination work has just begun. The department also reported two recent resignations and two open operator positions.

Director Jason said crews were paving the East River project, preparing Garfield Bay and Bay Road for asphalt, and planning a preconstruction meeting for a Colburn/Bridge (Grouse Creek) project. Lark Street was scheduled for its first BST application next Tuesday, followed by a chip-seal program and a final BST pass.

Jason said the county had started its dust-abatement program and that mag trucks and frac tanks were in place, but the new contractor was still coordinating equipment. “It’s gonna be probably 3 weeks before it's finished,” he said of the mag program; one mag truck had computer issues while other district trucks were operating.

Staffing impacts: Jason reported two full-time employees quit last week — one joining the city of Sandpoint and one starting a construction business — leaving two operator openings. He said recruitment is underway and that hiring remains a challenge.

Why it matters: paving and dust-abatement schedules affect travel and local commerce; persistent staffing gaps can delay projects and increase outsourcing costs. Commissioners and staff discussed timing relative to the county’s budget process and the need to maintain momentum on scheduled roadwork.

No formal action was taken; projects proceed under current contracting and staffing plans, and the department will continue recruitment and operational coordination.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Monthly Department Head Meeting 06/02/2025 @ 10:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Public Works and Roads and Bridge staff updated commissioners on paving, BST and chip-seal schedules, upcoming bridge preconstruction and dust-abatement work; staff noted two recent departures and two open operator positions.","taxTitle","Bonner County, Idaho","taxId",49415,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6218960,"Bonner County departments report vacancies as board presses for clearer budget memos and pre-approvals",1142,622000,1764000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388&start=622&end=1764","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388/thumbnail_622000.jpg","/articles/6218960/Bonner-County/Idaho/Bonner-County-departments-report-vacancies-as-board-presses-for-clearer-budget-memos-and-pre-approvals","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6218960-2b03cb3c72bd21f53928e95bafd350b9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720761&Signature=CjsYdp5Pnr1CcyXdA1tqbg-LIv6UM4GRfuETw6ynXEDhVw6yCviUYcdrFIMN-zW9Nrym2bye5TuuQZKR8hbn4St-Aoam8Z8M6zR6DGHlRMfV9Sc5pLQJQStYwrq9gu8MY1Cw6Py5X-SlHdoSUz0exYeZuZIRC8Iq9bPFpXDPDWJNAHXPWBXhI6~sMLwy1MMcl~FmTU1grioF83zICFoBXmQbQhLPZhZ0bMpJKeHEmV4QaK4Piry-6WL0dfbPSiA4l96FcgPNQdyAXIO2mIUli-li5OGgbvDQ0j0vjjPYtt90Amy0dz8h6w6kaEVxbSnpfBtvRLNOHo5VDm07A3Rs0Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bonner County commissioners reminded departments to use the county business-meeting template and to secure legal, risk and auditing approvals before submitting agenda items, and departments reported staffing shortages and vacancies as the county works through the budget cycle.

The commissioners’ office asked that all proposed agenda items be reviewed for legal, risk and auditing concerns before being placed on a public agenda. “Property, inventory, and some contracts need risk approval due to insurance needs and risk evaluation. If you are spending money, you will need auditing approval,” an official said. Items without appropriate approvals will not be accepted for the agenda.

Multiple departments described hiring challenges and temporary staffing gaps. The courts reported losing clerks and said remaining staff were covering increased workloads; one courts representative warned that losing personal-time or changing holiday schedules can disproportionately affect employees who must be present for court operations.

Several departments said they are near or plan to be fully staffed by mid-June. The Commissioners’ office said it expects to be fully staffed on June 16 and thanked staff for adapting to a more detailed budget review process. The process requires departments to break out budget lines and justify cuts or increases so the board can make more transparent decisions during budget development.

Why it matters: the budget calendar is active and departments must balance service delivery with hiring and training new staff while meeting board expectations for pre-approved agenda materials and fiscal oversight.

Next steps: commissioners are continuing budget workshops over the next weeks; departments were asked to provide memos using the official template and to seek required preapprovals prior to submission.","The Board of Commissioners reiterated that agenda items must use the county business-meeting template and receive legal, risk and auditing review before submission. Multiple departments reported staffing shortages and vacancies amid the budget cycle; some expect to be fully staffed in mid-June.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6218965,"Bonner County parks director warns of custody, funding and federal-perpetuity limits for Bonnet Park West and fairgrounds playground",383,2423000,2806000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388&start=2423&end=2806","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388/thumbnail_2423000.jpg","/articles/6218965/Bonner-County/Idaho/Bonner-County-parks-director-warns-of-custody-funding-and-federal-perpetuity-limits-for-Bonnet-Park-West-and-fairgrounds-playground","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6218965-424e277f814b36efb5047eff5fe2f422/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720761&Signature=VIFB3LUaw7L4Qeo5AXz~a85-E2JrtFt695gAXDdg7GBQXMFGjnCD8JqTc0x4~E0mbnJPyAykzMqjIXJ65jy2uyLa9EFhGIPt-epNbU4nUOnjXizr1uhu1xedwpUsDZt-pBwZTWmn4DYQs7B684D3ja5Cm9kHi-~CrhRJCwua8TbvISyjHHaDclkC3dRTx-CHt-ame3mBHaVNJ0wE4eiu9HrA6nfPBe8XWoohANDZuWNxADzS8h3lQLryxaWC2~92wgt0kClxdGM0PlFrEq4qPke1LX1hbCD5hwn8MwVNVa5WiZi3le1GaHqJ1X9v5648GZx2Nap88n0T91pbONNhnA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bonner County’s Parks and Waterways director reported staffing shortages, grant closeouts and a growing list of maintenance needs, and urged the Board of Commissioners to make timely decisions about who will manage the fairgrounds playground and other parks.

The director told the board the county had been “kicking this can down the road since December” on the fairgrounds playground management question and that staff are getting repeated public complaints. As a short-term step, Parks staff plan to provide a one-year, emergency funding estimate next Tuesday to cover maintenance while the county decides the longer-term custodian arrangement.

The director also raised a specific legal constraint for Bonnet Park West: the site was developed with a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. “That park was built on a land and water conservation fund, which is through the feds, and that was to have water access in a park into perpetuity. So ... Bonner County is the custodian of that perpetuity,” the director said, urging commissioners not to alter custodianship or uses without addressing the federal conditions tied to the LWCF funding.

Why it matters: changes in park custodianship or use could be constrained by the LWCF federal requirements and could require federal approval or mitigation. The parks director said a proposed change that would alter water access or convert the park to a marina-like use could “change the use of that perpetuity” and complicate any handoff to a city or other entity.

Staffing and funding: Parks staff asked the board to consider a full-time assistant or coordinator to manage grants and field operations. The director described the program as “complex” and argued that the department’s small head count and grant-driven funding model make sustainability difficult without added administrative support.

No formal decisions were made. The director said staff will present a short-term funding memo for the fairgrounds playground next Tuesday and urged the commission to expedite a long-term decision to prevent further deterioration and public complaints.","Parks and Waterways staff told commissioners they need quicker decisions and funding to manage parks this season, and flagged that Bonnet Park West was built with Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) funding — a federal constraint tied to perpetual water access that affects any proposed change in custodianship or use.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6218969,"Bonner County staff to schedule dedicated meeting on AI policy and IT migration after assessor issues AI rules",2536,1440000,3976000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388&start=1440&end=3976","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388/thumbnail_1440000.jpg","/articles/6218969/Bonner-County/Idaho/Bonner-County-staff-to-schedule-dedicated-meeting-on-AI-policy-and-IT-migration-after-assessor-issues-AI-rules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6218969-74e681a836ea1b1f95ac36fef2ef2b3d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720761&Signature=Fu181c5mUp5h4z~rztOINOl6pXnOn~Ka0mOydpspKAB1x71CmcqQwRCP~epFBAap6Uk~8DFuHW2oUO4TOawQLLstS85xX~ESqvlG0c-Y3kTqG8geK-td~ElwSR3AxsKwHjTzkmuV3QQ1KjSfRB-or~ZgdAmQNSqlP7hDXkczt6R6l2QMUX~m7tO3bU-PCYNJOiObZvWNNSik-0~lJCTrNTONI7ug2JUsgJ~YcUvaqEntA-GwSA03jqkLnSSSBviAfcxbaTkt47boUy1iNnc4Syg2Plb49Bsw1MSSPNguKpkEKrY8o2Yt9A8wgw6zFzVI-82YBd5mOQQtymIGGOib8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dennis Engelhard, assessor of Bonner County, told commissioners he has issued two policies governing assessor staff use of AI tools and is coordinating their review with the county’s legal, IT, HR and risk teams. He said he plans a press release and will share the policy documents with fellow commissioners.

County IT staff outlined broader questions about how the county should manage AI use and whether to adopt an internal hosted solution or rely on commercial services such as ChatGPT. An IT speaker noted trade-offs between local control and performance: hosted, county-managed AI can be audited, while commercial web interfaces can be harder to track for the handling of confidential data.

Why it matters: county departments use AI for drafting and editing communications and could use it in operational workflows. Without centralized policy or managed access, staff-entered confidential or personally identifiable information (PII) could be exposed through public web AI tools, the IT speaker warned. “If we're gonna be using it, we would rather have a little more control over it as opposed to just opening up your browser and just type in whatever you want into chat GPT,” the IT speaker said.

Commissioners asked staff to arrange a dedicated meeting with elected officials and department heads to present options, costs and a statement of work for a proposed Microsoft migration and possible county-managed AI. The IT speaker said the county has completed a cost analysis for a Microsoft migration and has a vendor ready to discuss scope and timing.

No formal policy for a county-wide AI deployment was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to schedule the focused discussion so elected officials, department heads and relevant staff can make a policy decision with detailed cost and operational information.

The assessor’s AI policies will be circulated to the commissioners and relevant departments for review in the coming days.","The county’s assessor has issued two AI policies for assessor staff, and county IT urged an electeds-and-directors meeting to discuss in-house vs. commercial AI tools and an upcoming Microsoft migration. Commissioners asked staff to schedule the session.",{"_33":111,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":112,"_41":113,"_43":114,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6218974,"Bonner County commissioners to review swapping day-after-Thanksgiving for Juneteenth after staff raise operational concerns",535,824000,1359000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388&start=824&end=1359","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3624275-fc9a176c1bf297770837679afa7a3388/thumbnail_824000.jpg","/articles/6218974/Bonner-County/Idaho/Bonner-County-commissioners-to-review-swapping-day-after-Thanksgiving-for-Juneteenth-after-staff-raise-operational-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6218974-383d419e46878f15a56bbac3a62ed959/orig.mp4?Expires=1770720761&Signature=WmavLiPBY2eE69-6vZuqMRotxZ3MMQvKb6vJXg3m-X0Ya2rYAn~ERrjVoI7J4QgxJXFOabh2itNKHge2cFwrBXPgJf1dEKs6nno9mYUhklt4YuWwKgh9ANEM4ccCFxwFhIAtJSOZo3ozO7ElP1i2dL2ai9C1VXheKd94JRbu-Vir~VDDgwMZuMK8QBRWLIAY~vHkAEkyZwvmAgCArb27LjspEFc3ETzjCs-yvuUfSzZT9HYvuodFik3NcONSHh9rVm7BFYzY~wijN3Efrl78XNGjEvtpKFkSDrjKaFDMe9LjhnKFcFkrf19V0DU-0AYgE-NmLgi7n9HsKbSmpnwPig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Bonner County commissioners discussed changing the county holiday calendar — including whether to make the day after Thanksgiving a day off and to swap that day with Juneteenth or other floating holidays — and asked staff to research options and constraints.

The issue surfaced in a broader administrative discussion about department scheduling and the county’s budget calendar. Commissioner Corn asked whether the group wanted to “look into seeing what it would take to go ahead and change this” so a decision could be made before Thanksgiving. The board agreed the change needed review rather than an immediate vote.

Why it matters: county offices must balance employee time off with operational needs such as tax collection deadlines and court schedules. Treasurer Acosta noted the second-half property taxes are due June 20 and that offices will be busy in the run-up to that date. Dennis Engelhard, assessor of Bonner County, said the commission likely has authority to set floating holidays but warned of budgetary costs if additional paid days are granted.

On legal and operational limits, Charlene from the courthouse cautioned that court calendars can override countywide closures for court staff. “If the Supreme Court says we're open, we're open. So we are open after the day after Thanksgiving regardless of how many people wanna take PTO,” she said, adding that some employees must be present on days the courts schedule business. Engelhard told commissioners: “I don't believe that there's a statute that regulates ... how many days that commissioners can give up. That's up to you guys, I think. The only thing you need to can take into consideration ... is the cost to the county.”

County staff also raised equity and security concerns about partial building closures. One participant said having just the treasurer’s office open while the rest of the building was closed creates security and consistency problems; making closures uniform across departments could address that, they argued.

Direction and next steps: a commissioner said they would “look into this this week” and report options, including making Columbus Day or other holidays floating, or swapping Juneteenth and the day after Thanksgiving. No formal resolution or vote was taken at the meeting.

The discussion also surfaced related operational notes: several departments emphasized they would provide months’ notice if they planned to close, and that some offices (for example, court calendars and certain public-safety functions) may be legally required to remain open regardless of countywide holiday changes.

The commission plans a follow-up once staff compile legal, budgetary and operational details.","Commissioners discussed whether to make the day after Thanksgiving a countywide holiday and possibly swap it with Juneteenth or other floating holidays. Officials flagged tax-collection timing, court-calendar requirements and staffing equity as constraints; a commissioner said they will investigate options this week.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Roads and Bridge reports paving, chip-seal and dust-abatement schedules but signals persistent staffing gaps

Bonner County departments report vacancies as board presses for clearer budget memos and pre-approvals

Bonner County parks director warns of custody, funding and federal-perpetuity limits for Bonnet Park West and fairgrounds playground

Bonner County staff to schedule dedicated meeting on AI policy and IT migration after assessor issues AI rules

Bonner County commissioners to review swapping day-after-Thanksgiving for Juneteenth after staff raise operational concerns