Bannock County commissioners approve contracts, accept JAG grant and clear consent agenda

At a regular session, the Bannock County Board of Commissioners approved a slate of contracts and agreements, accepted a Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for sheriff equipment in Pocatello, and approved resolutions for November salaries and alcohol licenses.

Contracts and procurement

- Climate Tech: Commissioners approved a contract with Climate Tech to maintain and provide software support for the web control system that monitors HVAC equipment at the courthouse and the landfill. Dan Kendall, facilities director, said the contract covers software and an on-site visit from the vendor representative who will tune and upgrade the system as needed.

- Direct Communications: Chief procurement officer Shanda Crystal recommended a $12,000 contract with Direct Communications for the exhibit hall project in Delhi to be paid from ARPA funds; the board approved the agreement.

- Razor Electric: The commissioners approved a $2,000 contract with Razor Electric for work on deputy stations at the detention center; procurement staff said the amount was small and not required to be competitively bid but noted the county is exploring a pool-of-contractors approach for electricians countywide to avoid cumulative single-source spending.

- Building inspection contracts: Planning Director Hal Jensen and Assistant Planning Director Tristan Borkman brought two one-year contracts for building inspection services with the cities of Downey and Arimo. The contracts include a one-year initial term with automatic annual renewals and clarified notice-of-termination language; commissioners approved them.

- ApplicantPro onboarding module: Matthew Phillips, HR director, asked for approval to sign a DocuSign-enabled add-on module to the countys ApplicantPro applicant tracking system to automate new-hire onboarding. Phillips said the module should reduce staff time spent collecting paperwork and could import data into the countys Tyler system. Commissioners approved the one-year agreement with monthly billing and authorized HR to sign electronically.

Grant acceptance and resolutions

- JAG grant: The board accepted a Justice Assistance Grant, described in the meeting as shared between the sheriff and the city of Pocatello for equipment. Commissioner Moser was authorized to sign the acceptance electronically.

- Resolutions: Commissioners approved Resolution 2024-76 (November 2024 salaries) and Resolution 2024-77 (November 2024 alcohol licenses).

Other routine business

- Hold-harmless agreement: Commissioners approved a hold-harmless agreement involving Bonner Morrison (details reviewed and cleared by legal and public works staff).

- Consent agenda: Salary-rate forms and meeting-certification minutes for multiple November dates were approved as part of the consent agenda.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Approve Climate Tech agreement as presented. Outcome: Approved (voice vote). - Motion: Approve $12,000 contract with Direct Communications for exhibit hall project (ARPA-funded). Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve $2,000 contract with Razor Electric for deputy stations (ARPA-funded). Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve one-year building-inspection contracts with City of Downey and City of Arimo (auto-renew). Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve ApplicantPro onboarding module (monthly billing) and authorize HR electronic signature. Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Accept Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) for sheriff equipment; authorize electronic signature. Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve Resolutions 2024-76 and 2024-77. Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve hold-harmless agreement with Bonner Morrison. Outcome: Approved. - Motion: Approve consent agenda (salary rates and meeting certs). Outcome: Approved.

The board later moved into an executive session under item code 74-2061(a) and (b).