Bonner County reviews Noxious Weeds budget, director proposes $25,000 contractor plan and asks for vehicle repair detail

Bonner County held a budget workshop May 27 to review the Noxious Weeds program's proposed fiscal 2026 budget, during which the Noxious Weeds director proposed maintaining several operating line items, recommended contracting roadside spraying for District 1 at about $50 per lane mile for an estimated 500 lane miles (roughly $25,000), and was directed to provide a detailed breakdown of anticipated vehicle repairs.

The proposal matters because the department is shifting from an in-house seasonal crew to a contractor model for roadside operations in 2026. That change affects labor, equipment and maintenance costs and could allow the county to declare surplus on a spot-spray rig while creating a capital-replacement plan, the director said.

The director proposed keeping the travel allotment at $2,000 to cover winter association meetings in Boise, quarterly executive board meetings around the state and occasional travel to testify or present. She said, "I'm proposing to keep the travel line item…