Extension Office

Sawyer Fonnesbeck spoke to the Commission about a number of agenda items.  The first was a personal vehicle reimbursement.  Last week, Fonnesbeck was unable to take the county car for a meeting in Boise, as he did not feel it would be a safe vehicle for the trip.  The standard rate for reimbursement when a county vehicle is available is at a half rate, though Fonnesbeck was requesting the full amount in light of the situation.  Commissioner Eliason motioned to reimburse Fonnesbeck for the full amount, which was seconded by Commissioner Jeppsen.  It was passed to reimburse Fonnesbeck the full mileage amount.  Commissioner Jeppsen suggested establishing a clear county policy for similar situations, as well as creating and placing an emergency kit in the county vehicles.  The idea was placed on the agenda for the next meeting.

Second, Fonnesbeck explained that a community member had recently started a rabbit club, and another had started a ranch horse club.  As a result, he suggested a raise to the judges’ budget line within the current budget, in conjunction with the Fair Board and Sales Committee.  Fonnesbeck asked for $500 to bring the Extension office budget into a position to adequately fund judges.  Chairman Lewis suggested that the miscellaneous budget might be used for most of those funds.

Fonnesbeck also discussed attempting to expand the demonstration element of the Fair competition.  Last year, only one person created a demonstration, but the 4-H program would like to see further interest in the program.  He asked for a volunteer to serve as a judge for the August 14 event.  Commissioner Ken Eliason volunteered, provided he did not end up having a conflict in terms of family members in the competition.

County Fuel Gas Usage

The last year’s worth of fuel usage were examined.  The Sheriff’s department has used just under 15,000 gallons during that time period, as one example.  Chairman Lewis suggested that given that usage the purchase of a reserve fuel tank would be a good idea in the case of emergencies.  The Sheriff reported that there are occasional events that cause the gas pumps in town to be non-functional for a time, such as network wide outages.  An emergency fuel supply would help in those cases.

It was reported that other systems of electronic fuel tracking/dispensing had experienced problems in the past.  Commission Jeppsen suggested having a consultant examine any dispensing systems for fuel before a purchase is made.

Treasurer

The Treasurer Leigh Love spoke to the commissioners about several issues.  The first issue involved landfill fees for unoccupied homes or residences.  Some neighboring counties adhere to a policy where as long as a livable structure is located on a piece of land, the residence should be accountable for the landfill fees.  Others suggest excusing the pickup fee, but keeping the base landfill fee.  Another issue was properties which were inaccessible to pickup, and whether they should be exempt from the pickup fees.  Attorney Brower cited the landfill ordinance which requires that all persons in the county with developed and inhabitable properties need to have garbage collection. 

There are currently four landfill ordinances, which it was felt needed to be combined into a clearer, single ordinance.  The commissioners committed to exploring these ordinances further.  Commissioner Jeppsen questioned whether the landfill fee can be separated from the collection fee.

Attorney Brower suggested that the process needs a more official notification process, or explanation of appeal process.  The basic requirement is that all habitable tenable residences are required to have waste collection, though a property owner can submit an appeal in writing to the county.     

Road and Bridge

Dianna Dredge spoke to the commission about a rotary snowblower.  It was described as a tool that can be used to increase efficiency for road clearing, especially in high wind areas.  One problem noted was that snow banks which pile up on the roadside tend to destroy the road surfaces as the snow and water sit on them over time.  A rotary snow blower would allow the road edges to be cleared and move the majority of the snow into the roadside barrow pit.  Several neighboring counties, including Power and Franklin, use the rotary snowblowers during the winter to combat wind-driven roadside banks.  Dredge predicted that the increasing population in the county will create an increased need for tools to clear roads as housing increases.  

Several vehicles have been located which potentially might fit the county’s needs for between $80,000 and $90,0000.  Assuming a trade value assigned to one of the county’s bladed grader of $35,000, the new equipment was reported to fit into the department’s equipment budget.  The vehicles which have been located are used, but have been reconditioned.  

The Road Department suggested that now is the optimal time for the equipment, and would ultimately save employee hours.  Chairman Lewis advised that making sure a used machine of this type was of high quality was very important.   A motion to support the purchase of a rotary snow removal machine, should a suitable one be found at an agreeable cost, was approved.

Development Code

Planning and Zoning Administrator Rhonda Neal addressed the commission in conjunction with the finalization of the Development Code.  Attorney Brower displayed the Development Code in order to facilitate examining the recommendations to the Code from the Planning and Zoning Board.  

PZ has recommended changes, following public input and examination.  Brower explained the process for future hearings on changes.  Anything that has been passed by PZ following a hearing can approved by the commission, however, any material changes made by the commissioners outside those will require another hearing.

Should the commissioners make their own material changes, they would be required to hold a public hearing on them.  Should they send the changes back to the PZ Board for consideration, a public hearing for each entity would be required.

At issue were the definition of “accessory dwellings,” and how they would be affected by other properties on the same lot.  Brower suggested requiring such dwellings (essentially guest houses) share a well with the primary residence, as well as an access road, and some other specifics deemed to be missing from the current definition.  The matter of variances for some of the spacing requirements was raised.  Some properties, for instance, may not have suitable building space within the prescribed area, and might require an exception. 

“Accessory Storage Building” was another term that was recommended for further clarification.  The term is defined in the Code, but not included in conjunction with any specific standards.  

The conditional use exception for “Home Occupation” was discussed. 

It was clarified that subdivision requirements don’t apply to one-time splits, provided the lot has not been split since 2000.  Properties which had been purchased before the current development code went into place are not subject to density requirements in Agricultural Zones with regard to the one-time split rules, or subdivision rules.  The one-time split is associated with the parcel itself, meaning that any parcel that has not been split since 2000 and was purchased before the new Code went into effect can be split once without adhering to the density requirements.  However, if a landowner wished to convert the property into a subdivision (more than 4 residences on 160 acres) in excess of the density requirement for Agricultural Zones without having the parcels legally recorded as of the implementation of the new code, they would be required to rezone the lot.  

The Commission decided to make the changes based on PZ recommendations and then hold a single public hearing, rather than the two that would be required if the commission sent to recommendations back to the PZ.  

Economic Development Goals

Commissioner Jeppsen discussed the county’s priorities for the upcoming meeting of the Economic Development Council.  The Council meets with the city and other entities on a range of projects related to economic growth and development in the county as a whole.  An ordinance passed by both the city and the county related to the Impact Zone is in its final stages, as the two groups have been meeting and drafting the language over the last several months.  In addition to the ordinance, a new map will outline the limits of the area of impact.  A public hearing with regard to both topics will need to be held.

Cody Brower had contacted Sterling Codifiers about codifying the County’s ordinances.  The company had responded that it would recommend cleaning up and organizing the set of ordinances before spending money on professional codification.  Brower inquired about whether it would be possible to hire someone to digitize the existing documents into a uniform form.

Creating a plan with the city for business retention and development was raised.  Some discussions about creating a smaller committee of members composed of one member of each entity, as well as business owners and community members.  

Another item was to review of the comprehensive plan for countywide economic development, and update it as needed.

County Policies

Commissioner Jeppsen updated the commission on progress with the county’s cell phone policy.  He recommended that supervisors for each of the county departments were best equipped to determine what constituted various levels of established cell phone usage tiers for county funded or compensated phones.  He recommended establishing a specific range of usage for positions within each department.  Jeppsen suggested that he would work on updating the policy language along with County Clerk Lon Colton.

The Vehicle Use policy was also discussed.  Chairman Lewis was interested in including language to permit hands-free communication for county vehicle users.  Some changes were also made to the vehicle documents in order to clarify the procedures related to them.

Drivers would also be required to notify their supervisors before scheduling any repairs or maintenance that exceeds $200. 

AARP Age-Friendly Community

Mayor Joan Hawkins and Molly Beseris of Four Casi economic development spoke to the commission.  The two presented an action plan for achieving some of the goals desired for the AARP Age-Friendly Community designation.  As a result, a report was generated including feedback from local residents and visitors.  Malad is one of the first cities in the state, along with Preston, to receive the designation.  Input was gathered by a full day of information gathering among citizens, reportedly over 60 people over the course of the day. 

The next steps in the process are to finalize an actionable plan.  Following several more planning meetings, a local committee will be formed to help implement the suggested plan items.  Mayor Hawkins and Molly Beseris approached the commission specifically about joining in the city’s efforts to improve livability in the county and city.  Oneida would become the first “Age Friendly County” in Idaho if it pursues the designation.  The report suggested that the strong overlap between city and county resources would make for a more effective and efficient process.

The county would commit to a five-year term of participation.  A member of the county commission would need to sit on the committee, and apply for its status as a “Age-Friendly Community,” along with a letter of support from Chairman Lewis.  Were the application approved, the city and county would move forward as a joint venture.  

In the report, resident pointed to things such as the Malad City Park, Oneida County Library, Nell J Redfield Memorial Hospital, and the Oneida County Event Center.  Some of the things that respondents felt could be improved were transportation, civic participation, and outdoor recreation.  

Mayor Hawkins emphasized that the designation was a useful way to open up more grant funding for projects that speak to a number of improvements that have been suggested across the city and county.

The Commission agreed to move forward with composing a letter of support for the city, as well as an application for the “Age-Friendly Community” designation.  Commissioner Jepsen recommended examining the terms of the agreement in order to make sure that they would not affect local planning and zoning regulations.

Event Center Flowers

The Fair Board had requested funds to maintain the flowers in the entranceway to the Event Center.  The beautification project at the Event Center’s entrance was initially paid for by a grant, but ongoing upkeep for perennials will need to be funded internally.  It was determined to use funds from the county’s budget up to $175 to maintain the flowers in front of the Event Center.