Bonner County commissioners approve routine agenda items, grants and administrative changes

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners on the recorded meeting approved a series of routine and administrative actions including an agenda amendment, payment of fiscal-year-25 claims, acceptance of two grants, approval of a revised job description in Road & Bridge, and a formal decision to set Planning Department hours to 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on weekdays.

The board voted to amend the agenda to remove the prosecutor’s office pay-scale adjustment discussion and the District 3 commissioner report and then adopted the amended agenda by roll call vote. Clerk Rosedale presented the claims packet identified as fiscal year 25 claims batch number 43, totaling $395,328.56. Rosedale said the batch included a large payment described in the record as a $262,000 line item (referred to in the meeting text as “Rodent Bridge”), roughly $152,000 for dust abatement, about $90,000 in BST surfacing oil, $31,000 for solid-waste contracted labor and $26,000 in emergency-management grant spending. After public comment, the board approved payment of the batch by roll call vote.

The board accepted a state ORFAC grant for Bonner County Parks and Waterways to fund replacement-in-kind navigation lights at Priest Lake’s Granite Creek Dock, making $57,232.50 available with a local match of $3,017.50 earmarked in existing line items for dock and facility repairs. Matt Mazel, Director of Bonner County Parks and Waterways, told commissioners audit, legal and risk had approved the grant paperwork.

The board approved a cleaned-up and revised job description for the Road & Bridge “road and bridge technician, right-of-way and bridge repair coordinator,” confirming the position is budgeted at grade 9 and removing an obsolete duplicate numbering in the description.

Airport Manager Dave Shook presented an FAA Airport Improvement Program grant offer tied to a previously submitted application; the board voted to accept the grant in the amount of $432,749 and authorized the chair to sign administratively.

Commissioners also voted to formally align the Planning Department’s hours of operation with Bonner County Revised Code 1-100, establishing minimum public-service hours of 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. County staff said departments will use flex scheduling as needed to ensure coverage for typical public transactions; specialty services such as floodplain reviews may require appointments.

Finally, the board voted to approve a letter of support for Inland Power and Light Cooperative’s residential battery-storage pilot program following a commissioner briefing on questions submitted to the utility. Commissioners and members of the public had raised safety, sourcing and public-engagement questions; Inland Power’s provided answers—read into the record by a commissioner—said the most cost-effective installations would likely be inside a member’s garage or shop, that installers (Northwest Renewables) would discuss fire-protection and containment plans during public meetings, and that battery hardware under consideration included Enphase systems manufactured in Texas.

Votes at a glance - Agenda amendment removing prosecutor pay-scale adjustment and District 3 update: approved (roll call unanimous). - Adoption of amended agenda: approved (roll call unanimous). - Consent agenda (includes fairgrounds ADA seating and fence improvements $6,000; ClearGov professional services $7,650; other consent items): approved (roll call unanimous). - Fiscal year 25 claims, batch 43 — $395,328.56: approved (roll call unanimous). Clerk Rosedale listed major line items and flagged $26,000 in emergency-management grant spending. - ORFAC grant acceptance for Parks & Waterways (Priest Lake Granite Creek Dock): $57,232.50 grant; $3,017.50 local match: approved (roll call unanimous). - Revised job description for road & bridge technician / right-of-way & bridge repair coordinator (position budgeted at grade 9): approved (roll call unanimous). - FAA Airport Improvement Program grant acceptance — $432,749: approved; chair authorized to sign administratively (roll call unanimous). - Letter of support for Inland Power and Light Cooperative residential battery storage pilot program: approved (roll call unanimous). - Formalization of Planning Department hours to 9 a.m.–5 p.m. weekdays per Bonner County Revised Code 1-100: approved (roll call unanimous).

Context and next steps Clerk Rosedale and department directors confirmed auditing, legal and risk review where required for grants and contracts. Commissioners said more detailed operational questions (for example, cash-flow timing for grant matches and scheduling of public engagement around pilot programs) would be handled by staff or the presenting agencies. Public commenters asked for details on emergency-management spend and on public-engagement dates; commissioners said staff or the presenting agencies would provide those specifics where available.

Ending: The board moved on to commissioner updates and public comment after completing the roll call votes on the recorded items.