Granite County commission names Scott Adler chair for 2025; discussion on courthouse lunch hours, video upgrades and courthouse roof bids

Granite County commissioners on Jan. 7 nominated and approved Commissioner Scott Adler as the board’s chair for 2025 and handled several administrative items, including a first reading of a resolution about courthouse hours, a public request for letters of support for a watershed grant, a motion to upgrade meeting audio/video equipment and a decision to table awarding bids for courthouse roof work.

Why it matters: Chair selection sets leadership for the year; decisions about courthouse operating hours affect public access to county services; the county’s decision on audio/video affects virtual public access and meeting transparency; tabling the roof award delays contract selection for a capital project.

Chair selection and minutes

Commissioner Scott Adler was nominated and seconded for chair and the motion carried. At the time of the motion Commissioner Blanche said the chair position should ‘‘be rotated’’ and encouraged commissioners to take turns serving. Following the chair vote the board approved the minutes from the December meeting by motion and voice vote.

Courthouse lunch‑hour policy and treasurer’s request

County Treasurer Ashley Todd had sent a letter asking the commission to reconsider the courthouse noon‑hour policy to better accommodate staffing constraints; Todd said some title and refund transactions require specific staff authorizations and that her office has difficulty maintaining coverage during lunch periods. Public commenter Elena Gagliano urged commissioners to keep the courthouse readily accessible and suggested any change be discussed publicly. Commissioners agreed the matter would return for further action; the draft resolution on courthouse hours will be read again at a later meeting and — if substantively altered — would require a second reading before adoption. Transcript remarks noted there is a statute affecting treasurer office hours, but the meeting did not identify the statute by name.

Audio/video upgrade for public meetings

Commissioner Blanche moved and the board seconded a motion to upgrade the meeting room’s audio/video equipment and restore live camera coverage for commissioners. The motion included purchase of a ceiling/360° camera device (reported in discussion as an “OWL”‑type unit) and improved microphones to improve remote viewers’ experience and transparency. Public commenters and county staff supported better audio. The motion passed on a voice vote with at least one recorded dissent noted during the roll call; the county administrator and IT were asked to follow up with DIS and vendors to confirm compatibility and cost.

Courthouse roof bid: tabled for review

Two bids were opened for courthouse roof replacement work: a Montana metal‑works bid at approximately $518,002 and a second bid at about $573,828. Contractors and slate representatives raised questions about whether the plans fully described a damaged substrate and epoxy anchoring work; bidders asked the county to postpone awarding the contract while plan details and an allowance for substrate repairs were clarified. The board moved to table awarding the contract until next week to allow slate or county staff to review the substrate/anchor questions and return with a recommendation.

Granite Headwaters Watershed Group: letter of support

The board voted to provide a letter of support for a Granite Headwaters Watershed Group application for a DNRC watershed management grant. Anna (representing the watershed group) said the group is not a 501(c)(3) and is sponsored by the conservation district; commissioners approved a motion directing staff to prepare the letter for signature.

Other business

The agenda included a proposed resolution updating the county mileage reimbursement rate (the draft reflects the IRS/state adjustments cited by staff) and a resolution establishing a daily jail reimbursement rate for inmates; those were discussed but not adopted as final action at this meeting. Several public commenters and staff asked that draft resolutions be clearly labeled as drafts and that corrected names and roles appear on resolution drafts before final signatures.

Ending

Commissioners scheduled follow‑up on the courthouse‑hours resolution and the roof bid review for the next meeting. County staff were directed to coordinate vendor quotes and confirm the scope and costs for the audio/video upgrade and to prepare the watershed support letter for the board to sign.