Department heads and elected officials provided operational updates across multiple county functions, with several items flagged for follow-up.

Elections and clerk: Clerk Mike Rosedale listed precincts that do not have an election and reminded the public that the election was scheduled for the following day. He said the list of precincts without an election is posted on the county website and in local media.

Coroner and public health: Coroner Robert Beers said his office recently investigated two overdose deaths within a 24-hour period and that a third person was transported to Spokane; he said the deaths were "most likely fentanyl overdose deaths." Beers thanked the sheriff’s office, EMS and dispatch for their response and noted that dispatch provided CPR instructions that were appreciated by a family.

Road & Bridge operations and equipment loss: Road & Bridge reported extensive seasonal work — including about 16.5 miles of asphalt and 65 miles of chip seal — and preparation for winter operations. The department also reported a water truck rollover that will affect its budget: staff said they will seek a used truck or cannibalize parts from an older vehicle to mitigate replacement costs. Auditing and HR were noted as working on payroll allocations that temporarily make some line items appear irregular.

Facilities, porta-potty and DMV accessibility: Multiple speakers raised concerns about a porta-potty that had been placed at a DMV location (initially during the pandemic) and whether the county or another party is responsible for its payment and placement. Assessor Dennis Englehart raised accessibility concerns about the Priest River DMV facility, saying it lacks a public waiting room and is not user friendly.

Technology, training and AI: Technology director Jacob said the county is planning substantial training (multi-factor authentication, phishing and other security topics), proposed Bookstack as an internal knowledge site for policies and procedures, and submitted a sole-source packet for an email migration to Microsoft. Jacob said Microsoft Copilot is being considered as a county AI platform because licensing would link Copilot use to individual authenticated accounts and allow logging and review of usage for policy/compliance reasons.

Solid waste, parks and other updates: Solid Waste reported maintenance work, signage updates for a new sticker/fee structure and a staff promotion that created an attendant vacancy. Parks & Waterways reported dock and grooming work, grant applications for groomers and navigation lights, and winter preparations. HR announced a biometric screening event and continuing training with the Idaho Department of Labor. The auditor announced a countywide GFOA membership to give staff access to budgeting and grant best-practice resources.

No formal votes or ordinances were considered during these updates. Several operational items were identified for follow-up, including determining who is responsible for the porta-potty, ensuring sheriff's office representation when the county reviews budgets that affect the largest county fund, and continuing coordination for the planned email migration and legal review of sole-source or renewal contracts.