Bonner County adopts framework to consider community‑funded railroad 'quiet zones' after public push

Bonner County commissioners on Oct. 29 approved a framework allowing communities to pursue railroad crossing quiet zones, provided the requesting neighborhoods pay for site‑specific engineering, upgrades and any ongoing maintenance. The board instructed the Road & Bridge Department to solicit a consultant engineer to act as the county’s quiet‑zone proponent and to return a professional services agreement for later approval.

The proposal was presented by Matt Mulder, Road & Bridge staff engineer, who described quiet zones as areas where trains no longer sound routine horns at crossings after the Federal Railroad Administration’s safety checklist is met. "Railroad crossing quiet zones are areas where trains no longer blow their horns at every crossing," Mulder said, describing Bonner County’s 2020 pilot at Kootenai/Kootenay Bay and warning that ongoing inspections, maintenance, paperwork and recertification create substantial continuing costs.

The framework Mulder outlined would have the county contract a consultant engineer as a standing proponent; communities that want a quiet zone would form a voluntary entity (Mulder discussed an LLC model), pay a retainer and hire the consultant to study and, if feasible, design and implement required crossing upgrades. Mulder said the county does not yet know consultant fees and estimated that true lifecycle costs for a site can be “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in some instances; he noted the pilot community initially raised $15,000 but the ongoing maintenance and other costs have proven far higher.

Commissioners repeatedly emphasized that the county has not budgeted for quiet‑zone rollout and that any county participation would be limited. One commissioner urged adding legal, insurance and bond requirements and a defined minimum fund balance to ensure the county would not be left with reversion costs if a community failed to sustain financing. Mulder said the framework could be amended to include performance bonds or minimum account balances as part of the consultant’s professional services agreement.

Residents from Ponder Point and Bottle Bay urged commissioners to move ahead with a phase‑1 study so communities can get concrete cost estimates. Patricia Sheets, a Ponder Point resident involved with that community’s quiet zone, said the measure has been "a godsend for us" and asked that existing successful quiet zones be grandfathered. Matt Loam, a Bottle Bay resident and one of the organizing proponents, said his neighbors have ready volunteers and local funding efforts and asked the board to allow phase‑1 feasibility work to proceed.

Public commenters also raised concerns about railroad staging and diesel idling behind homes, possible tax assessment implications, and lack of earlier written notice about long‑term maintenance obligations. Steve Morgan, a Ponder Point resident, urged commissioners to have legal staff closely review liability and said he found studies indicating quiet zones can reduce train‑vehicle collisions.

The board approved the framework motion by roll call after deliberation, with the final motion directing Road & Bridge to pursue a qualified consultant engineer at the cost of the requester, and to return a proposed professional services agreement with scope and fee for board review. Commissioners said the initial approval establishes a process and that each site would still require specific studies, agreements and likely additional protections (bonds, minimum balances, insurance) before any quiet zone would be implemented.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the meeting agenda and consent agenda; it approved FY25 claims batch #55 ($47,071.14), FY26 claims batch #4 ($346,616.05), and an FY26 demand batch ($6,298.64). Planning staff reported final as‑built approval for project SS622 (Fisher Haven Estates) and the board approved a 50% partial release of the surety, returning $52,039.65 of an original $104,079.30 surety.

The board’s next procedural step on quiet zones is for Road & Bridge to solicit and propose a consultant and to return a professional services agreement and final framework language — including any bond or minimum‑balance requirements — for the board’s formal approval. The meeting adjourned at 2:35 p.m.