Bonner County commissioners voted Dec. 22 to authorize a delegation letter to the Idaho Office of Emergency Management that allows Emergency Manager Bob Howard to expend county funds up to $656,952 for repairs tied to recent flooding near Clark Fork.

The action, moved by Speaker 1 and seconded (second not identified in the record), passed on a roll-call vote with Commissioners Williams, Dahlke and Clark all voting yes. The board’s memo and draft letter are stored in the county Google Drive for reference.

The board discussed a rough order-of-magnitude damage estimate prepared by Director Topp for county roads and associated right-of-way work. Speaker 1 read the estimate and said the county’s road and bridge budget appeared to have sufficient funds to cover the $656,952 figure but cautioned that using those funds would likely force postponement of planned maintenance and other projects this fiscal year.

County staff and commissioners emphasized that state assistance, as described in the memo, would be limited to financial assistance and generally operates on a 50/50 cost-share basis. Speaker 1 said the Idaho Office of Emergency Management and the governor had given verbal approval for a state disaster emergency and that the state would request detailed cost estimates and invoices to determine which expenses qualify for matching funds. Speaker 1 warned that some items — for example, full asphalt paving after temporary gravel stabilization — may not be covered by state emergency matches and could remain the county’s responsibility.

Jason (staff) said his estimate used contractor rates from the Army Corps contract and did not include personnel overtime; Speaker 2 urged that personnel and delay-related costs be documented so they could be included if eligible for reimbursement. Emergency Manager Speaker 4 (who identified a contact in another county believed to be Shoshone County) agreed to reach out to that county to learn how they documented requests for state assistance and what items they sought to recover.

Speakers noted a FEMA threshold for broader federal assistance: if statewide damages exceed $3,500,000, different federal cost-share rules could apply; Speaker 4 said they had a coordination call scheduled with the state later that day to get additional guidance.

In the formal motion, the board instructed the chair to send a letter authorizing Director Bob Howard to act as the county’s point of contact with authority to commit funds on behalf of Bonner County for the duration of the flood disaster emergency, with an expenditure cap of $656,952. The motion passed unanimously. The board adjourned at 11:50 a.m.