Commissioners agree to let county staff assist with veterans town hall at North Idaho College

Kootenai County commissioners indicated they would allow county staff to provide technical assistance and access to county communication assets for a veterans town hall scheduled for May 21 at North Idaho College, a caller told the board.

Tom Freeman, who spoke on the phone during the meeting, said the event is sponsored by the American Legion and the Idaho Division of Veterans Services (IDVS) and that IDVS is taking the lead. Freeman asked the board for permission to use county resources, including assistance from Jonathan (a county staff member) and county audio/streaming systems, so the event could be broadcast online and made accessible to those not attending in person.

Freeman said the town hall “started out as an American Legion event,” then IDVS became involved and “now IDVS is taking lead,” and he described his own role as helping but not leading. He asked the board for approval “to utilize Jonathan and his resources in the BOCC and, potentially some commissioner support, specifically, yourself, commissioner Matari.”

Freeman said the county’s technical need would be limited: “we may need some technical expertise, you know, to get that those electronics set up and Jonathan has had some expertise in that and he's willing to assist, but, again, we need the BOCC's approval… we don't see a lot, you know, where this is going to be a a large cost or a or large time sink.”

Commissioners expressed no objection during the discussion and one commissioner indicated the board had given direction for staff assistance. Commissioner Abilene verbally indicated she was “okay” with the request. The meeting record does not show a formal vote; board members treated the request as a staff-support approval rather than an item requiring a formal motion.

The event will be held at North Idaho College. Freeman asked specifically that the county permit use of communication assets (for example, Zoom or YouTube streaming) and provide limited technical support to make the town hall accessible to people who cannot attend in person.

No budget or cost estimate was provided at the meeting, and no formal contract or expenditure was authorized on the record. County staff were asked to provide assistance as needed and to return to the board if additional resources or costs are required.

After the discussion the board moved on to public comment and adjourned.