Soil and Water 

Conservation Funding Request

Representatives of the SWCD board requested 15K for the district.  The state will match funds contributed by the city and county.  The funds are used for various programs designed to create outreach and information. Just recently, an Ag Day event was held at the Event Center which included all of the Elementary aged children.  The SWCD also supports the boat check station during the year.  The boat check station performed 8,400 checks last year, and has already performed over 2,000 this year.  A number of “fouled” boats with invasive mussels have been discovered, helping to prevent damage to local waterways.  

$15K has been the amount granted to the SWCD by the county in the past.  A motion to support the funding was made and carried.

Steed Road 

decision

County Attorney Cody Brower reported that the decision to validate the road had been appealed up to the state court.  The decision to validate the road was overturned, on the basis of a lack of clear and convincing evidence of maintenance and use of the road for the period of the past five years.  Brower disagreed with the court’s decision.  He recommended that the BoCC affirm the supreme court’s decision, and move to remove the road from the county’s road inventory and maps.  A motion to vacate the road on 23500 West at the intersection of 7700 North (otherwise known as Steed Road) to the forest boundary and remove it from the county road map was made and passed.

Trees 

Commissioner Lewis explained a plan to plant trees in the parking area of the Event Center.  A motion to give Ken Moss, Jr. and Cory Ihler to determine potential placement for trees on the Event Center grounds was made.  The motion was passed.

Lease for 150 CAT grader

A lease for a CAT grader was brought before the commission for approval.  The lease covers 4,000 hours over 5 years.  The lease will cost the county $50,818.34.  A motion to accept the lease was passed.

Tyler Kelsey

Representing Intermountain Insurance Services, Tyler Kelsey approached the commission about becoming an insurance broker for the county.  IIS would represent the county to its health carrier and use competitive quotes from other insurance companies to negotiate and leverage the best prices and coverage possible.  Chairman Lewis expressed his preference to keep the insurance provider based in Idaho, and his satisfaction with the current provider.  Kelsey requested a chance to present a plan to the county.  IIS has represented the city of Burley for many years, and Soda Springs for the last four years.  As the issue was not an action item, no vote was taken on it.  Commissioner Jeppsen indicated that he was interested in potentially pursuing the issue in a future meeting.

Hearing on 

Development Code changes

Chairman Lewis noted that many of the discussion items raised at the recent public hearing were related to previously mentioned elements that had not yet been implemented into the current document.  He reported that the majority of public respondents at the hearing supported the changes as laid forth at the hearing.  Commissioner Eliason echoed those comments.  Many of the changes were made to allow for Planning and Zoning decisions made prior to the adoption of the new code that were not possible without modifying some of the code itself.  The commission moved to adopt the most recent changes made to the code.  The motion carried. 

D6

Cody Brower provided background information on the D6 treatment program, which operates out of Pocatello.  Previously, the county had agreed to provide a meeting space for treatment providers and clients in the courthouse.  A discussion was had at the time about D6 leasing space from the county for a part-time facility.  The Memorandum of Understanding that was originally created has not been updated since the original agreement, and is in need of renewal.  A representative from the D6 program will meet with the commission soon to discussion updating the MOU, and providing clearer logistics about what will be needed moving forward.  Felony and Juvenile Probation, as well as District 6 are all currently sharing space in the annex building, which creates some scheduling issues.  Gabe Jiminez requested that D6 counselors provide early notification for use of the space so that the space could be scheduled more efficiently.

Hospital Board Member

An open spot on the hospital board has been suggested to be filled by Robert Hannah.  A motion to appoint him was carried.

CPR Training 

Training in CPR for county employees was passed in an earlier meeting.  Commissioner Eliason suggested that the hospital bay might be the best choice for a location.  A date and time remain to be coordinated for the event.  Sheriff Jones suggested that he would need at least three

dates or times in order to accommodate all of his employees.  The training is voluntary, but Jones and the commissioners all felt that the training was very important and they hoped as many as possible would avail themselves of the opportunity.  

Airport Grant

The commission had previously signed on to match a grant for airport seal coating.  However, the grant came in at 100% funding, so the county’s contribution is no longer required.  

Sheriff—Office Improvements and Safety Concerns

Sheriff Jones spoke to the commission about ongoing concerns with the facilities.  Jones requested that the sheriff’s office be added to the cleaning schedule for the building, as their carpet is not routinely cleaned.  

The sheriff also mentioned that the bathrooms in the office needs to be remodeled for cleanliness and safety, especially the employee restroom.  Some concerns about ADA accommodation, as well as general appearance for the public restroom in the office were presented.

The flooring in the Drivers License and Dispatch areas was noted to be in need of repair or replacement.

Hanging wiring was also noted as a potential hazard.  Lon Colton agreed with the sheriff’s assessment of the need for those building concerns to be addressed.

The potential for locks in the office to be updated and replaced such that they can be controlled from the dispatch office was also discussed.

The sheriff also requested replacement chairs for the waiting area of the office.  The chair lifts, which will not be necessary once the elevator is fully installed, also need to be removed.  They are not safely functional anymore.