Kootenai County commissioners agree to pursue updated helicopter lease, seek insurance and FAA review

Kootenai County commissioners on Aug. 7 directed staff to pursue an updated lease for the county's regional air support helicopter, asking county risk managers and the Federal Aviation Administration to review the draft and to return the agreement for formal approval at a later business meeting.

The action came during a special meeting with the sheriff's department where Lieutenant Ellis summarized a proposed 12-month, auto-renewing lease that would replace the prior May 9, 2023, agreement and limit use to public aircraft operations — including law enforcement, search-and-rescue, tactical training and maintenance flights. The draft explicitly excludes commercial or inter-hospital patient transports. "The county is to continue to pay the $10,000 annually," Lieutenant Ellis said.

The new draft calls for a 120-day notice provision and a 91-day early-termination clause that must be mutually agreed. It identifies the aircraft as a 1994 Bell 206B. Operational costs — fuel, maintenance and insurance — are to remain the responsibility of the Kootenai…