Commissioners approve Good Neighbor Authority reimbursement; county moves to update CWPP and expand wildfire mitigation programs

Valley County commissioners voted to approve a Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) reimbursement request of $25,520.67 on Feb. 10 and discussed several wildfire-mitigation efforts the county is coordinating ahead of the next fire season.

Commissioner Rector Lovacek and staff outlined multiple initiatives: an evacuation-study partnership with Boise State University (BSU) and the county emergency manager to review evacuation responses from last season; ongoing mapping of mitigation projects across Forest Service, All Lands Partnership and private lands to create a single, searchable map of where fuel-reduction and mitigation work has been completed; and plans to integrate the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) as a chapter of the county’s all-hazard management plan to allow five-year updates rather than the 10-year cycle.

The county said the All Lands Partnership is prioritizing demonstration project areas across three counties to show scalable fuel-reduction techniques; project partners plan to implement roughly 200 acres of demonstration work in each county to persuade larger landowners to participate. County staff also noted they are preparing applications for two GNA-style grants — one for $500,000 and another for $240,000 — to expand on-the-ground mitigation work.

Separately, the county’s Firewise grant program opened Feb. 1 and closes April 15; staff said $50,000 in Firewise dollars are available to help private landowners harden homes or carry out fuels reduction on private property. The staff explained the Firewise program is a 50/50 reimbursement: landowners pay up front and receive reimbursement after an inspector verifies the work. The county maintains a five-inspector Firewise board to inspect projects before, during and after work.

Commissioners said they expect to have an evacuation-study report from BSU by June so the county can review findings before next fire season. Commissioner Lovacek said the county’s outreach and communications during last year’s evacuations—social media, CodeRED and coordination with church and community centers—functioned well, but recommended the study to validate and refine protocols.

The GNA reimbursement motion — described as a routine acceptance of previously incurred GNA-eligible expenditures for the county’s GNA-funded position and related costs — was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote. The record shows a unanimous voice vote; a roll-call tally was not recorded in the transcript.

Commissioners directed staff to continue coordination with the fire working group, finalize CWPP/all-hazard integration, apply for additional grant funds, and publicize the Firewise grant availability to reach private landowners.