Kootenai County commissioners approve contracts, grants and airport sale; authorize payment of court attorney fees

Kootenai County commissioners on Sept. 16, 2025 approved a series of contracts, grants and budget actions at their regularly scheduled business meeting in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, including a household hazardous-waste disposal contract, a recreational-trail grant, a $322,710 Joint Chiefs wildfire mitigation award and closing documents for a roughly $2.1 million airport property sale to the City of Hayden.

The meeting also included approval of an employee-assistance provider change, several leases and purchases at the county airport, funding for an ADA-ramp replacement on the county campus and a resolution to pay $102,434.49 in attorney fees tied to Idaho Supreme Court docket 51332.

Why it matters: The approvals advance several county infrastructure and public-safety priorities — trail repairs, wildfire mitigation and airport improvements — and move county property and legal obligations toward completion. Several items commit county funds or require matching funds and scheduling to meet grant deadlines.

The board voted unanimously on most items. John Phillips, director of Solid Waste, told commissioners the county solicited bids and awarded the hazardous-waste transport and disposal contract to Advanced Chemical Transport LLC: "the solid waste department requests and recommends entering into agreement with Advanced Chemical Transport LLC for the collection and disposal of household hazardous waste as written." The contract term approved runs from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028, with three optional one-year extensions.

Nick Snyder, director of Parks and Waterways, presented a nonexclusive license and right-of-entry easement with Intermax Networks to allow fiber installation across county property in Athol, saying, "The proposed project is gonna provide high speed Internet to the residents in the Atholl area." The board approved the easement.

The board approved a Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant agreement (RT26-1-28-3) with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation for $150,000 to replace about one mile of Centennial Trail asphalt, with a $100,000 cash match from the county’s Centennial Trail fund (Fund 18).

Andrea Littlefield of the Office of Emergency Management told the board Kootenai County received $322,710 from the Idaho Department of Lands as its share of a federal Joint Chiefs FireSmart award for hazard mitigation, and said, "Kootenai County is a recipient of $322,710 of these funds for hazard mitigation treatment. This treatment will have to be implemented next field season and be completed by December 2026." The board approved acceptance of the grant; no local match was required.

At the airport, Kim Stevenson presented several items: a lease addendum with TFA LLC that will provide $18,825 annually in revenue; approval of a previously authorized truck purchase for $338,729; a Federal Aviation Administration grant award to fund taxiway lighting improvements (95% FAA reimbursement, county match of $14,517.50); a supplemental agreement with J7 Contracting Inc. related to ongoing taxiway work; and closing documents for the sale of approximately 7.5 acres to the City of Hayden for $2,098,344.80. Stevenson said, "The commissioners will be signing the documents in person on the closing date, Friday, September 19."

Other approvals included: cancellation of the county’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) contract with Uprise Health and approval of a new contract with CuraLink Healthcare effective Jan. 1, 2026; a $9,678.92 contract for 3.8 acres of hazard-fuel treatment under the Canfield FireSmart project; authorization to cover a $234.42 overage from opioid funds for DARE instructor training (bringing the DARE training total to $24,320.14); and a $15,000 request to fund Spillman audit and refresher training for sheriff’s office staff (to be taken from fund balance).

The board voted to approve six school resource officer (SRO) agreements for the 2025–26 school year covering multiple school districts and charter schools and authorized signatures on those agreements. Building and grounds director Jeff Fuller briefed commissioners on a recommended $27,835 demolition and repour of an ADA ramp on the county admin campus; commissioners approved the work to be funded from the county’s five-year plan funds.

The board approved Resolution 2025-68 to move contingency funds to pay costs and attorney fees tied to Idaho Supreme Court docket 51332. During public comment and follow-up, staff clarified the full amount to be paid from contingency is $102,434.49, which the board approved by motion.

During discussion of a proposed law-enforcement services contract with the City of Hayden, county staff and the undersheriff raised a few contract terms that require legal review before the county forwards a final agreement to the city; commissioners asked staff to pursue a month-to-month extension of the existing arrangement while those items are resolved and scheduled a special meeting to revisit the contract.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the following (motions recorded in meeting minutes): - Minutes (Items 1–10): approved (unanimous). - Consent calendar (Items 11–16): approved (unanimous). - Payables for the week of Sept. 2025: $1,355,480.03 (unanimous). - Hazardous-waste collection and disposal agreement, Advanced Chemical Transport LLC (Item 18): approved (unanimous). - Intermax Networks nonexclusive license and right-of-entry easement, Farragut Trail (Item 19): approved (unanimous). - Authorization to expend funding to purchase a Parks and Waterways replacement vehicle (Item 20): approved (unanimous). - Blackwell Island Marina lease renewal with Hagedorn Hospitality Co. (Item 21): approved (unanimous). - RTP grant agreement RT26-1-28-3, Centennial Trail asphalt replacement (Item 22): approved (unanimous). - Cancel EAP contract with Uprise Health (Item 23): approved (unanimous). - Approve contract with CuraLink Healthcare as new EAP provider (Item 24): approved (unanimous). - Canfield FireSmart contract, Alpha Services LLC, $9,678.92 (Item 25): approved (unanimous). - Use of opioid funds, DARE instructor training additional $234.42 (Item 26): approved (unanimous). - Grant award, FY25 Joint Chiefs, Idaho Department of Lands, $322,710, no match required (Item 27): approved (unanimous). - Lease addendum AAL2025-400 with TFA LLC (Item 28): approved (unanimous). - Truck purchase from Knudson Chevrolet, $338,729 (policy 9-30) (Item 29): approved (unanimous). - FAA grant award for taxiway rehab and lighting (AIP), county match $14,517.50 (Item 30): approved (unanimous). - Supplemental agreement No. 1 with J7 Contracting, Inc. for FAA projects (Item 31): approved (unanimous). - Airport property sale closing documents, City of Hayden, $2,098,344.80 (Item 32): approved (unanimous). - Spillman audit/refresher training, Motorola Solutions, $15,000 (Item 33): approved (unanimous). - RBS grant closeout and reimbursement (Item 34): approved (unanimous). - School resource officer agreements for 2025–26 with multiple districts/charters (Items 35–40): authorized (unanimous). - ADA-ramp demolition and repour proposal, $27,835 (Item 41): approved (unanimous). - Resolution 2025-68 to pay costs and attorneys’ fees for Idaho Supreme Court docket 51332, $102,434.49 from FY25 contingency (Item 43): approved (unanimous).

What’s next: county staff are to finalize closing documents for the airport sale (signatures scheduled Sept. 19), work with counsel and the undersheriff on outstanding Hayden law-enforcement contract items, and schedule a special meeting to finalize that agreement. Grant-funded work, including hazard mitigation and trail resurfacing, must meet the grant timelines noted in staff presentations.

Speakers quoted in this report are identified in county meeting minutes as John Phillips, director, Solid Waste; Nick Snyder, director, Parks and Waterways; Andrea Littlefield, Kootenai County Office of Emergency Management; Kim Stevenson, Airport staff. Other presenters, staff and commissioners are named in the compiled votes above.