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Bonner County commissioners approve update to Safety Policy to add volunteer definition
Summary
The Bonner County Board of Commissioners voted to update Safety Policy No. 2000 to add a volunteer definition, training and vehicle-check requirements; the change was approved by the board and will be coordinated with HR and legal.
Christian Jocelyn, Bonner County risk manager, presented a redline update to Safety Policy No. 2000 and emphasized that the revisions were largely editorial but added explicit volunteer training and motor-vehicle check language. "I have before you a recommended update to our Bonner County safety policy, which is policy number 2000," Jocelyn said, noting the redline shows the new language and training templates.
Commissioners pressed for clarity because volunteer status affects insurance and workers' compensation. "Just saying the word doesn't make you a qualified volunteer for purposes of risk," said the commissioner who led the questioning, urging a clear definition tied to insurance and activation/deactivation rules. Nate Adams of the Bonner County Prosecutor's Office said, "I think a definition of volunteers would probably be helpful," and recommended that terms be defined if they are not defined elsewhere.
After discussion about cross-references with the county's employment classification policy and HR-owned definitions, a commissioner moved to approve a resolution (number to be assigned) updating Policy 2000 to include a volunteer definition approved by legal and risk; the motion was seconded and passed on roll call. Commissioners directed staff to coordinate with HR, legal and the county controller to ensure the volunteer definition aligned with existing employment-classification language and insurance requirements.
The resolution requires the county's risk and legal offices to finalize the volunteer definition and training language. Commissioners said the change is intended to clarify protections and responsibilities for employees and volunteers without expanding coverage to the general public.
