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Commissioners ask review of Sagle multiuse heating charges after prior AG caution
Summary
Bonner County commissioners directed staff to review billing and charge allocation for propane and utilities at the Sagle multiuse facility and to audit which departments use the space after prior Attorney General guidance questioned fund transfers to that building.
Bonner County commissioners spent significant time reviewing utility charges for the Sagle multiuse facility and whether the county has been appropriately allocating those costs across users.
Staff presented an example propane bill that totaled about $1,200; the ambulance district paid $847.92 and the county’s recorded portion was roughly $363. The board discussed that the facility is used by multiple departments (ambulance/EMS, emergency management, assessors and others) and that historically some departments’ funds were used to build or support the facility even if they did not use it. Commissioners recalled a prior Attorney General (AG) opinion that criticized pulling money from certain funds to build or support facilities that departments did not use; staff said they would retrieve the AG opinion for the board’s review.
Why it matters: commissioners said the county should review which departments use the multiuse building, then allocate or charge those departments for their prorated shares of utilities and operating costs rather than charging the entire cost to the general fund. Staff described an approach of quarterly reconciliations and one-time transfers to correct misallocated charges.
Board members also noted past instances where justice-services money was used for building costs and the AG concluded that those expenditures were improper; staff said auditing and the prosecutor’s office had been involved in earlier reviews. Commissioners directed staff to determine which departments use the facility, confirm who should pay which portion of utility costs, and bring recommendations for a billing/allocation approach.
Ending: Staff will pull the AG opinion, perform a usage review of the Sagle multiuse facility, and propose a method to prorate ongoing utility and propane costs; no formal vote was taken.
