Bonner County commissioners on Oct. 7 voted to replace Juneteenth with the Friday following Thanksgiving as a paid county holiday and added language directing Human Resources to manage exceptions for departments that must remain open.

Human Resources Director Jonathan Holmgren told the board that accounting for floating holidays is straightforward if authority to place the holiday is delegated to elected officials and department heads. "I would recommend to the board that the authority for decision making about floating holiday usage, would be delegated to elected officials and department heads, and they could very easily create a memo for record stating their decision for where to place that floating holiday, and submit it to HR for record keeping," Holmgren said. The board amended the motion so that employees who are statutorily required or otherwise unable to take the Friday after Thanksgiving would be afforded a floating holiday under HR guidance.

County staff reported a personnel survey that drew 203 responses; 184 respondents answered the question about keeping Juneteenth or replacing it with the day after Thanksgiving. Of those 184, 144 (78%) preferred the Friday after Thanksgiving and 40 (22%) preferred Juneteenth. Staff also noted that fewer than half of all county employees have regular email access and therefore did not all receive the survey.

Commissioners discussed public‑facing service needs (noting the treasurer's office receives heavy traffic around tax due dates) and operational constraints for small departments, the courts, and Road & Bridge crews. The board directed HR and payroll to work with department heads to document how the holiday change will be handled in departments that cannot close and to ensure payroll and holiday‑pay rules apply consistently. HR staff warned payroll may have already processed Juneteenth holiday pay for the current year, so practical effect of the change will be for future holiday schedules; the board's action governs holiday recognition going forward and will require administrative coordination before the next holiday season.

Why it matters: The decision alters the county's paid‑holiday calendar and requires HR and department leaders to define how employees who must work holidays will be compensated or given alternate leave, affecting pay and service availability across county offices.

What happens next: HR will publish guidance and coordinate with payroll and department heads to implement the change and manage exceptions; the clerk will reflect the revised holiday in county materials.