Commissioners signal support for $22,835 curator share in historical society request

Bonner County commissioners on Wednesday indicated they are prepared to fund the curator portion of the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum’s preservation budget while asking the society to return with clearer line-item allocations for larger capital and reserve requests.

Hannah Combs, the museum’s executive director, described the preservation column in the society’s proposal as covering facility maintenance, archival supplies and curator time. "The biggest expense on the preservation side is our curator and collections manager," she said, explaining that the curator spends roughly "65% of her time working directly with the collection" and that the society’s calculation put the county-share for that work at about $22,835. Commissioners repeatedly asked for a clearer breakdown of how other income streams—donor gifts and bequests—were being assigned to capital projects versus operating preservation.

Several commissioners said they could justify the curator portion today but not the additional sinking-fund or expansion asks without more detail. One committee member stated, "I'm willing to approve the 22,835 today," while other members said the additional $15,000-plus requested for a sinking fund should be treated as an enhancement or deferred until the society provides specific line-item budgeting. Commissioners also emphasized they needed clarity on where the society had allocated an approximately $1.5 million bequest before committing additional county money.

The society agreed to return within a week with an updated budget showing exact line-item expenses and a projection of how the endowment and bequest funds will be applied. The county did not take a formal vote at this meeting; commissioners described their position as an informal willingness to fund the curator share pending the promised documentation.