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Caribou County signs on to apply for two $240,000 fuels‑reduction grants
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Summary
The Caribou County commissioners agreed March 23 to sign Idaho Department of Lands funding‑acknowledgement forms for two Western Fire Management grants — Bailey Creek Phase 2 and Cedar View — each a $240,000 reimbursement award requiring about a 15% match that may be partly in‑kind.
The Caribou County Board of Commissioners on March 23 authorized county staff to sign Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) funding‑acknowledgement forms for two Western Fire Management grant applications aimed at fuels reduction in Bailey Creek and Cedar View.
Charity Staggs of the Southeastern Idaho Community‑Oriented Government (SICOG) told the board each grant would be a reimbursement award of $240,000 and that the expected match is roughly 15 percent, a share that can be met with in‑kind contributions by landowners as well as cash. "The match should be 15% which some of that can be captured by in‑kind as well as dollars to match," Staggs said.
Commissioner Bryce Somsen moved to approve and sign the IDL funding acknowledgement forms; Commissioner Marty McCullough seconded and the motion passed.
Staggs and prosecutor Doug Wood discussed how to document landowner in‑kind contributions. Staggs said Idaho Department of Lands provides a specific form to record landowners’ in‑kind contributions; Wood suggested distributing that form to participating landowners and retaining completed forms with the grant file. The grants, if awarded, would fund treatments designed to slow wildland fire spread so first responders can better protect homes and infrastructure.
The applications are reimbursement‑only awards; the board did not commit local cash beyond the required match but agreed to sign the acknowledgement forms so the applications may proceed. Next procedural steps identified in the meeting included distributing the IDL in‑kind contribution form to landowners, gathering match documentation, and returning to the board for any required acceptance of awarded funds.