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Bonner County budget review targets postage, internet and water lines for reallocation
Summary
Staff recommended reducing several general-fund utility lines after reviewing multi-year actuals; commissioners asked for a more detailed reallocation where bills belong (departments, justice fund, fair).
During the June 2 budget meeting, Bonner County staff walked commissioners through multiple utility and operating lines in the general fund — postage, internet, electricity, water and sewer — and proposed reductions or reclassifications based on multi‑year spending histories.
Postage: Staff explained the general fund pays for countywide postage (metering, outgoing mail) used by multiple offices and suggested reducing the line to $80,000 based on a recent four‑year average closer to $70,000. Commissioners agreed the lower figure was reasonable.
Internet and telephone: Commissioners asked whether Internet charges for specific remote facilities (for example, a Sheriff’s substation in Priest River) should be charged to the owning department rather than the general fund. Staff noted some telephony costs have migrated to voice‑over‑IP budgets and that legacy telephone lines show zeros but cannot be deleted without losing historical audit data; staff will look into archival options.
Water and sewer: Staff flagged that the water line has significant monthly variability and that one or more large bills tied to the August county fair have contributed to higher historic totals (budgeted $46,000, $26,000 spent year‑to‑date; prior years as high as $60,000–$68,000). Commissioners directed staff to review meter/metering allocations (fair, justice services, airport, county buildings, road and bridge) and reallocate costs to the proper funds where appropriate. Staff said some justice‑related water and sewer bills may be charged to justice funds and will reconcile.
Other utilities: Staff recommended modest increases to electricity and gas lines in some cases (for example, bumping electricity to $175,000 across multiple locations) and moving elevator service and similar items to the facilities/utilities budget where they will get more attention.
Ending: Staff will open invoices, map each meter/invoice to the responsible department or fund, propose reallocations for water/sewer and internet, and look into archival solutions for legacy zero-dollar budget codes. No vote was taken.
