Countertops Tory Richardson

TJ spoke to the county commission about bids to provide IT security upgrades to the doors in the courthouse.  The cameras and other equipment involved can be activated in either real time security monitoring, or as a daily archive of security footage (or, an “offline mode”).  The nature of the hardware required to install key controls was discussed.  The function of the various security features and mechanisms for the door locks were explained to the commissioners. It was determined that the front door was a particularly important point of access.  At issue specifically was how the building locks could be controlled in emergency situations.  

Sheriff Jones provided information about the current security setup in the building, and what he saw as important for a new system.  Payment for the project would be scheduled for various stages of the overall installation.  Some of the doors, for instance, won’t be ready to set up until construction begins on the third floor itself.  Of the two quotes for the project, Chairman Lewis felt that some changes needed to be made to what was covered in the bid before approving any expenses.  Generally speaking, the commission preferred the offline system, which was less costly.  13 doors would be covered by the security upgrade.  After some changes were made to the bid items, the commissioners agreed to move forward with the offline model for the security upgrade.  $28,183.45 for the installation of security door access controls was approved from the one time expense budget.  

Richardson also spoke to the commission about $35,242 which had been approved for the construction of ADA approved counters for the courthouse during the last meeting.  The contractor undertaking the construction project explained what the improvements would look like.  The specific locations and dimensions of the counters in question were discussed.  The majority of the changes will affect the sheriffs office, though the entirely building will be brought up to ADA compliance.  Framing, sheetrock, electrical, labor and materials are all included in the bid, though the removal of tile from the drivers license testing center is not.  

Changes to the bid, which account for the items that were determined to be necessary after a more thorough inventory of the site, were noted as around $13,000 additional funds.  The project would be completed fairly quickly during off-hours, with the offsite building of materials to begin immediately upon approval.  The total bid for the project was approved at an updated $47,905.06 from one time expenses to Arrowhead Cabinets.  50% of the total cost was approved for payment, with the rest due upon completion.

Hangar electricity

Roxanne Albretson spoke to the commission on behalf of the airport.  Estimates to run power across the road to the hangar were received.  Smaller hangars will be constructed on the site south of the pilot’s lounge.  A new transformer box will need to be placed in order to handle the power needs of the facility.  Grants are being written for the other infrastructure needed for the project.  The project fits within the airport’s budget, as a result of the resurfacing having been covered by a grant.  The project will cost approximately $25,000 to run electricity to the new hangar location.  The commission approved the budget outlay.  The commission reiterated its view of the importance of the airport to the community.

Wright Creek Road 

Agreement

A road agreement with Hess Pumice and Oneida County Road and Bridge is pending.  Those parties, as well as the commissioners and county engineer, will meet to discuss the issue at a meeting on November 22 at the Event Center at 11:00 a.m.  

Grader Lease

Dianna Dredge spoke to the commission about a lease agreement for a grader.  The lease on the current grader results in a total amount due of just over $374,000 for an upgrade, with 5 annual payments of around $46,000 each.  The lease is a five year lease, which will replace the current lease at a better interest rate.  The current grader has over 3,000 hours.    

Kevin Jones Property

Kevin Jones owns property on 2000 N that he was interested in donating to the county.  The property is a triangular piece that can’t be used due to right of way regulations.  The commission felt that Jones needed to address the commission directly to begin initiating the process.  At present, the commission did not feel that it had enough information to make a decision.

Resolution to destroy records

Kathleen Atkinson updated the commission about the status of the county’s plan for record destruction.  Atkinson listed the various categories of materials held by the department that were scheduled to be destroyed based on the amount of time they have been kept on file in the office.  Everything older that 2014 that falls into the allowable destruction category is planned to be disposed of, after digital copies are preserved.  Idaho Code requires a schedule for record destruction, and outlines which documents are suitable for destruction and the requirements for documenting the destruction.

Tax cancellation

Atkinson also spoke to the commission about tax cancellation claims.  House Bill 389 allows homeowners to sign up for an exemption at any time during the year.  4 homes that did not have the exemption have applied for it.  The total amount is $1,003.14 that the property taxes to the county will be reduced by between all 4 applicants.  Motions to approve the tax reductions for the 4 parcels presented were each approved separately.

County car

Atkinson also spoke to the commission about the car used by various departments within the county.  The current Ford Escape has been listed as a roughly $12,000 trade toward another vehicle.  Around $42,000 for a new vehicle was quoted by Ford.  The commission felt that it needed to evaluate the issue more closely before making any decisions.  Some discussion about the utility of a van for some of the uses that the Extension Office may require was had.  Atkinson suggested that the sooner a decision could be made, the more the trade in value could be retained.

Drone

In further discussions about the purchase of the sprayer drone for the county weed department, Cody stated that a generator for the drone would cost roughly $1,200.  Road and Bridge suggested that they might have a spare generator that could be used.  The weed department plans to try the generator from Road and Bridge, and pursue the purchase of a generator if the available one is not sufficient for the task.  Commissioner Jeppsen asked whether the drones had the capability to survey the county during an emergency.  The distance from the operator was not immediately known.  Commissioner Jeppsen suggested that it would be a valuable resource if the drone were able to gather intelligence during emergency situations.  

The size of the drone was discussed.  Of the available options, the mid sized drone that could spray 27 acres per hour was deemed to be most suited to the county’s needs and budget.  The purchase of an AG-216 Drone from Hylio for $29,500 out of the one time expense budget, which includes all of the accessories, was approved. 

Weather Station

Dianna Dredge spoke to the commission about the proposed weather station for the Road and Bridge department.  Dredge reported that any theft of the weather station devices would be the responsibility of the county.  Given that fact, Dredge suggested beginning with one weather station device in Stone in order to determine the effectiveness and viability of subsequent purchases.  The station would provide images and weather information to the county, which would aid in snow removal deployment and traffic management.  The commission agreed with the cautious approach of testing out the equipment before making a large investment in the system.  Each station has a yearly leasing fee of $3,000, which includes upgrades.  A motion to approve a one time expense of one weather station was passed.

Senior Citizens

Ron Fesler had spoken to Chairman Lewis about potentially expanding the number of days during the week that the senior center provides meals to seniors.  The senior citizens center has requested funding to alleviate the shortfall in the center’s budget for the current year.  State funding has diminished over the last years, and the center is using its savings in the meantime.  The building is owned in partnership between the city and county.  The commission will gather more information on the current budget situation.

Fuel Systems

Chairman Lewis examined various locations around the county for the installation of a potential fuel tank for refueling county vehicles.  Chairman Lewis suggested that he thought the most suitable location was EMT building, which has a backup generator.  The proposed 10,000 gallon tank would be used for emergency fuel supplies.  The Fire Station, Courthouse, Fairgrounds, Road and Bridge, Search and Rescue, and other locations were also discussed.  The availability of a portable generator from Road and Bridge was mentioned as a factor that made the situation more flexible.  Expenses for the project will be discussed at an upcoming meeting.

Employee Gifts

The commissioners discussed plans for holiday gifts to the county employees.  Suggestions were taken from county employees in attendance.  Kathleen Atkinson explained a plan to provide emergency kits to employees for their vehicles.  Gift certificates were also discussed.  The way those cards would need to be reported to the IRS was mentioned as a potential factor.  Water flasks, flashlights, filtration devices, and other possibilities were also discussed.  Ultimately, the commission approved a $50 gift card for part time and full time employees working in the county as of December 10.  The issue of whether the money was included as an addition to paychecks or through a card was discussed.  It was decided that though the paycheck would be an easier route, a card was necessary for the right approach.  The motion was approved.

Law Enforcement Contract

Sheriff Arne Jones spoke to the commission about the city and county’s contracts with law enforcement.  Some minor language relating to the jurisdictional arrangement between the city and county was discussed.  Because the parties need to approach the contract in a two-party manner, language including all three entities was changed to clarify that.  The city contracts with the Sheriff’s Office for services outside of code enforcement, which has been taken over within the city by John Christophersen working as a CE with the city.  

Part time employee wages Sheriffs

The status of potential part time employees for the sheriffs office was discussed.  The importance of part time employees to helping mitigate Comp Time and PTO for full-time employees was raised as the primary issue.  Chairman Lewis wanted to see a more thorough breakdown of how overtime hours would potentially be affected by increased part time hours before making major funding decisions in the department.  The rate for part time positions would be increased by between one and three dollars an hour, depending on the specific position.  

Large accruals of comp time create a budget liability owing to laws regarding the payout of comp time at the end of the year.  Lon Colton suggested seeking another full time position, rather than several part time positions.  Doug Williams suggested that the amount of hours needed would justify another fulltime position.  The potential of hiring someone at the office who would be trained to work dispatch as well as patrol was raised.     

Event Center Generator

Emergency Manager Dan Williams updated the commission on the status of a backup generator for the Event Center for $56,080, involving the SHSP grant.  Some of the funds from the grant need to be spent by April of next year.  The amount of the SHSP grant that the county wants to commit to the project was discussed.  Before the 2024 funds become available, there is just over $43,000 available through the grant.  Commissioners Jeppsen and Eliason felt that the funds would be well spent on the generator.  The items which are allowable under the grant restrictions are limited.  Commissioner Jeppsen motioned to dedicate $40,000 of the SHSP grant toward the generator, with the remainder of the cost to come out of one time expenses.  The motion was approved.  The motion was amended to fund the generator itself from the SHSP funds for $36,780 but not the cement pad and installation, as they would be subject to the need for an EHP (Environmental Historical Preservation study) which would delay the process.  The amended motion was approved.

A motion to sign the SHSP 2023 grant acceptance for the next $22,738.49 was approved.  

Emergency Services Grant

Dan Williams also required acceptance of EMPG matching grant funds for around $10,141 from the county.  A motion to accept the grant was passed.

Commissioner Jeppsen followed up on making sure that the county’s mitigation plan were posted to the county’s website.  

SHSP funding for the purchase of radios for Search and Rescue was approved for around $13,000.  

D6 MOU

A Memorandum of Understanding between the county and District 6 for the use of the back part of the county annex building was discussed.  Counselors with D6 would be given the use of a room in the probation office on Thursdays under the arrangement.  The commissioners wished to speak with the D6 treatment officials to clarify the arrangement before approval.   

CAI/Harris software 

agreement

An agreement between the county and CAI/Harris software was discussed.  A number of agencies within the county use software provided through the company for operation.  The agreement includes software support and licensing fees for a total of around $44,000.  A motion to approve the expenses was passed.  

Canvass of elections

As required by state law, the recent municipal election held in Oneida County requires verification of the election count by the county clerk’s office.  The vote totals for the election were: 170 Olsen, 160 Schwartz, 197 Tripp.  23.9% turnout for the election.  The election results for Malad City were certified.    

EISF Board nominations

Nominations for the EISF board were discussed by the commission.  The commissioners elected to nominate Wes Harris from Franklin county to serve as the director of the southern counties on the board.  The commission will need to provide a letter supporting the nomination to the EISF board.    

Record retentions schedule

Lon Colton discussed the county’s status with regard to a record retention policy.  The commissioners examined some of the policies used by other counties, as well as the Idaho Code requirements.  Lon Colton suggested that each department should compare their records with the guidelines as established by the Idaho Association of Counties in order to determine if any additional document types needed to be accounted for in order to establish a destruction schedule.  

Animal damage control

A letter was received from the Idaho Control Board concerning funds for controlling pests and predators throughout the county.  The cost of the service has been increased from $2,000 to $2,500.  The increase was announced after the county’s budget had already been set, so the commission agreed to draft a letter explaining that they would hold to the already committed $2,000.  

VSO retirement; replacement

The commission received a letter from Gene Caldwell officially announcing his retirement for the VSO position at the end of the year.  Bob Stokes has been elected by the Legion to replace Gene in the position.  Under Idaho Code, the counties provide funds, a computer, and potentially an office for the position.  Stokes suggested that all he really needed was a Wi-Fi connection.  It was suggested that he could be allowed access to the courthouse building for connection.  Stokes was approved to fill the position.  

Calendar Change

November’s next meeting on the 27th will begin at 1:00 p.m., rather than 9:00 a.m.

Report from Probation

The number of juveniles in probation was reported to be down from previous years.  Gabe Jimenez relayed that he felt the diversion program was responsible for the decrease.  The commission moved to approve the report from the probation department.