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Bonner County commissioners begin review of advisory boards, call for clearer rules and updated records
Summary
Commissioner Domke presented a compiled list of Bonner County advisory boards, councils and committees and urged staff and commissioners to confirm authorities, update outdated records, and standardize appointment and reappointment processes after identifying gaps in documentation and inconsistent practices.
Commissioner Domke presented a draft inventory of Bonner County’s advisory boards, councils and committees and told fellow commissioners the document will be posted online after staff confirms details.
The exercise was intended to make it easier for the public to find what advisory bodies exist, how they are formed, and what statutory or county-authority governs each one. Domke said the table she prepared “summarizes my understanding of our different advisory boards, councils, and committees” and includes references to applicable county ordinance, resolution, or statutory authority.
Domke told the Board of County Commissioners the list includes the Agricultural Protection Area Commission, Airport Advisory Board, Board of Community Guardians, Fair Board, Natural Resources Committee, Priest Lake Television Translator District, the two snowmobile advisory boards (East/Sandpoint and West/Priest Lake), the Waterways Advisory Board, the Planning Commission, Zoning Commission, and the Emergency Medical Services/ Ambulance Service District Advisory Council. She said some formation documents are readily available on the county website while others appear only in older paper records and require additional research.
Commissioner Korn raised concerns about the Airport Advisory Board’s role, saying the board’s practice appears to go beyond advisory functions in some cases and that past actions have led to community questions about process and fairness. Korn asked whether the airport board’s work on requests for proposals and the lot-matrix should be strictly advisory to the BOCC or whether authority has effectively been transferred. Korn said the BOCC needs to “review the authority that is given to them” and clarify who is responsible for approving airport plans and matrices.
Domke acknowledged gaps in the county’s electronic records and said staff will continue research to locate original ordinances and resolutions where they are missing from digital files. Domke also identified specific items she recommends for additional review: the Airport Advisory Board’s delegated functions; the Natural Resources Committee’s activity and reporting (including federal coordination on matters such as the Albany Dam); and whether the Priest Lake Television Translator District remains active — she noted its last posted minutes were May 2018 and that the district dates to 1976.
On several advisory boards, commissioners and commenters pressed for consistent appointment practices. A member of the public asked how seats are filled and suggested a central, public listing of openings and terms; commissioners agreed terms should be posted and that reappointment should not be automatic in every case. Domke proposed a uniform approach and said some resolutions do specify selection processes and terms, but others are old and unclear.
Commissioners also discussed the Ambulance Service District Advisory Council (MSAC). Participants described confusion over whether that council’s role is strictly clinical or should include fiscal and operational input. Commissioners flagged the council’s current practice of seating the ambulance chief as chair while the council also advises that chief as a structure that deserves review.
Other details raised during the workshop included: the Snowmobile East and West advisory boards remain separate partly for geographic and volunteer-resource reasons but share a county-managed fund; the Waterways Advisory Board advises on expenditures from the county vessel account and will have two vacancies at the end of the month; and the Bonner County Solid Waste Advisory Committee was dissolved by resolution 2025-29.
Commissioners directed staff to continue confirming authorities and posting an updated, searchable list of boards and vacancies on the county website. They also asked staff and counsel to identify where original ordinances and resolutions exist only on paper and to return with recommendations on standardizing appointment and reappointment processes across advisory bodies.
Follow-up steps include continued research into formation documents, a review of the Airport Advisory Board’s delegated authorities, a review of the Natural Resources Committee’s work plan and reporting cadence, and consideration of formally dissolving or updating the Priest Lake Television Translator District if it is inactive.
