Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Agriculture topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County ratifies ODA grasshopper mitigation grant and delegates finance to distribute funds
Summary
Crook County ratified execution of a Department of Agriculture grasshopper/Mormon cricket grant (packet showed a range; county received $90,000) and authorized finance to administer per‑acre payments; Commissioner Susan recused herself due to a potential conflict.
County staff reviewed an ODA grant aimed at mitigating grasshopper and Mormon cricket damage in eastern portions of the county. The packet initially cited a $108,000 award but staff said the county ultimately received $90,000 after adjustments; Helena Chemical Company handled spraying under a third‑party arrangement.
Commissioner Susan announced a conflict of interest because her ranch intends to apply under the same terms and recused herself from discussion and voting. The board moved to ratify execution of the ODA grant (identified in the meeting as Grant number GHMCDash2Dash2025) and directed the finance office to implement a distribution system based on documented invoices and acreage; commissioners discussed a packet reference to a $6-per-acre rate and a range of acreage among participants.
The motion to ratify passed on voice vote with Susan recorded as abstaining. Staff said they will memorialize Susan’s recusal in the minutes, accept documentation from Helena and ranchers for payment processing, and return to the board if additional guidance is needed.
