Bonner County approves amended contract to provide municipal prosecution services in Sandpoint

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners approved an amendment to the county’s contract with the City of Sandpoint to provide municipal prosecution services after a presentation by the prosecutor’s office and public comment.

The prosecutor explained Idaho law allows counties to enter contracts with cities to prosecute infractions and misdemeanors, and said the arrangement for Sandpoint is a deeply discounted rate compared with the cost of a standalone city prosecutor. "It would cost them quite a bit more, probably at least two times as much to fund their own city prosecutor position," the prosecutor said, and added that the contract does not materially increase county manpower needs because court proceedings for county and Sandpoint cases are often scheduled together.

Commissioners raised concerns about fairness and asked for a follow-up caseload analysis to inform future contract negotiations. Commissioner Williams (referenced in discussion) said she would be willing to meet with the Sandpoint mayor, police chief and the prosecutor to seek a number that better reflects workload and to consider a review in the next fiscal year. Public commenters, including Wayne Martin, urged the board to seek a higher fee to reflect potential future caseload increases.

After deliberation the board moved and seconded the amendment and approved it by roll call. Commissioners said staff should track caseload data and return to the board for renegotiation if the workload or costs change substantially.

What happens next: the prosecutor’s office will execute the first amendment to the municipal-prosecution contract and the board expects a caseload analysis in the coming fiscal year to support any future fee adjustments.