The Board of County Commissioners met for a regular meeting on March 11 at 1:00.  The commissioners moved the meetings from the middle of February through March to later in the day in order to attempt to allow for a larger number of people to attend the meetings.  The issue had been raised at a prior meeting, and the commissioners agreed to hold the meetings later and see whether it had the desired effect.  There were a notably larger than usual number of people in attendance at the meeting.

American Legion—National
Register

The commissioners welcomed the American Legion.  The Historical Society of Idaho sent a letter indicating that the Legion Hall, post 65 in Malad, had been added to the National Register of Historic Buildings on January 25.  The list does not affect private property rights, but does acknowledge that the building has historical significance.  Other places in town on the register include the 2nd Ward building, the Presbyterian church, the Co-op, the Samaria historic district, the Jed Jones house, the DL Evans bungalow on North Main, and the courthouse. 

Fire Department—4th of July Fireworks

Fire Chief John Williams spoke to the commissioners to ensure that the budget for the next cycle will include an increase for the fireworks outlay for 2025.  The department requested $6,500, which represents an increase of $500.  Williams reported that there were some difficulties currently with the importation of fireworks into the country in general.  

EMS—Easter Egg hunt

The EMS is working on preparing the eggs for this year’s Easter Egg hunt.  In order to run the event, the EMS requested $200 from the county commission from the Contingency Fund.  The funds will be used for materials and operations.  The motion passed.  The Easter Egg Hunt is scheduled for March 30, the Saturday before Easter.  The Chamber of Commerce will match the
donated funds.

Waldron—request to add to
Development Code

Luke Waldron spoke to the commissioners about a conditional use permit for activities in Samaria.  Waldron requested that Agri-Tourism and Farm Stays were added to the Development Code as allowable uses for conditional use permits.  Agri-tourism and farm-stay are not currently defined within the development code.  Waldron also mentioned that USDA defines Agri-Tourism defines a situation wherein visitors are provided information about farms during events which also raise money for the farm itself.  Live entertainment events are permitted under the Development Code on page 31.  Events lasting less than 7 days, including weddings, corn mazes, petting zoos, etc. are included in the live event definitions.  Waldron requested adding overnight stays for participants into the acceptable uses.  

Waldron expressed the belief that educating younger generations about how farms work and what they do was an important priority for him, and he felt it should be for the county as well.  In Oneida County’s Comprehensive Plan, the importance of agriculture is highlighted.  

Commissioners Eliason and Jeppsen commented that they felt the events held in Samaria were important to the community, and helped bring in visitors.

Chairman Lewis expressed his support for the addition to the Development Code moving forward, but he suggested that the process of arranging for these additions needed to start with the Planning and
Zoning Office.  

Rhonda Neal was present, and suggested that there were likely to be acceptable uses that currently exist in the Development Code, but that the two definitions could certainly be added through the Planning and Zoning process.  Neal felt that the activities offered by the Waldron’s would be covered by the “live entertainment” conditional use designation.  

Lyle Fuller explained that a current bill in the state legislature might affect the ability of counties and cities to regulate short term stays throughout the state.  

Veteran’s Progress Report and Funding request—Bob Stokes

Bob Stokes spoke to the commissioners on behalf of the Veterans.  The last census of veterans in the county, from 2022, found that 297 living veterans were in the county.  Several have passed on since that date. Stokes also explained that the PACT Act had been expanded to include more possibilities for claims around the county.

Stokes has been working diligently to acquire a list of those veterans who have passed, in order that headstones and gravesites could be ensured for them.  The service is free for veterans.  

Stokes also requested additional computer equipment for use in his capacity as the VO for the county.  A software suite which would allow Stokes to communicate more efficiently with the VA is being established by Stokes.  He also needs some method of scanning documents.  The documents need to be submitted in order to process individual veterans cases, and speed is often important.  In sum, Stokes requested a printer/scanner and wifi connection for the Veterans position.  

Request for change addresses for E911

Jaime Olsen and Rhonda Neal brought a request for an address change before the commissioners.  The Malad Summit subdivision has a number of addresses that are in need of being changed.  There are some addresses that have resulted in the failure of mail delivery, as they don’t obviously correspond to the streets themselves.  Olsen requested that the streets in the area be given names, rather than numbers, in order to mitigate the mislabeled numbers associated with them.  Proposed names for the roads are Power Lane, Bell Maker Road, and others.  This will result in road name changes for several houses, though the house addresses will remain as they are.  

Rhonda Neal suggested that the road names and addresses will solve the problem for the present, but that the code stipulates that even and odd addresses need to be assigned by north and south sides of the road.  However, because the roads don’t follow an exact east/west path, the addresses are inconsistent.

Under the new development code, a road or address change no longer requires a public hearing, but it does require a 90 notice of change to everyone involved in the situation.  There were reported to be eight full time residents of the area who might be affected, and around 20 addresses total that might be affected. 

A total of five signs, including Bell Maker Road, Aspen View Road, Pine View Lane, Stone Lane, and Power Lane are the signs that will need to be placed.  

Dianna Dredge was also present.  She explained that subdivisions typically put up their own road signs.  At least two of those roads are included in subdivisions.  Chairman Lewis inquired about the potential cost of five more signs.  Dredge stated that the department did have a sign budget, but she wasn’t sure how much was in it.  Most of the signposts are already in place.   

New addresses can be updated on the county’s system for ID, but in order to issue a new print license, the fee is a $20 state fee.  Updating on the system is all that is required for most legal purposes.  Bill Drury also mentioned that an address in the system that is different from a driver’s license address will create problems with the TSA and potentially other agencies involved in using ID verification.

Olsen stated that the address changes will aid in the electronic 911 database in the state, which ultimately assists county emergency services.

Each owner will receive a 90 day notice before the changes take effect.

A motion to authorize Jaime Olsen’s office to change the addresses and street names on the summit was approved.

LHTAC Rumble Strip Grant

Dianna Dredge and Lisa Baker spoke to the commission about the status of the LHTAC rumble strip grant, which is in progress.  An agreement with the engineers needs to be signed.  Until the construction begins, the county is responsible for paying the immediate costs, which will be reimbursed later.  The total grant is for $770K.  The county’s percentage is around $56K, or 7.34% of the grant.   

Woodruff Road discussion

The Road and Bridge is in the process of blading Woodruff road, as well as other gravel roads around the county.  The weather has created some issues with the process, and the department is hoping for a break in the precipitation and temperatures to be able to fully clear the county’s inventory of gravel roads.  Chip sealing roads is expensive at the per foot costs, and the county has to carefully adjudicate which road sections are the most important under current budgetary outlooks.  Road and Bridge employs several strategies to minimize the loss of gravel during the
springs melt.  

Elevator—TKE Gold Service Agreement

Tory Richardson spoke to the commissioners about progress on the elevator in the courthouse.  A service agreement with the company who installed the elevator is available.  The “gold plan” was recommended.  It was anticipated that there should not be any major problems for at least the next seven years.  The service contract will provide additional coverage for maintenance and repair on the county’s elevator.  A service tech in Logan would be included as part of the agreement.  

The elevator has had a few problems since it was installed, but has been running well since the last service visit.  Richardson mentioned that the elevator seems to function less well during the cold, which he speculated may have to do with the lubricant being used at present.  

Commissioner Jeppsen stated that it was important for those in the county and building to be familiar with the process for dealing with any issues with the elevator.  According to the guidelines, the company should be contacted immediately.  Any attempts to correct issue with the elevator would void the terms of the warranty.

The agreement itself was moved to the next commission meeting for signing.

Sheriff’s Office Flooring update

In the Sheriff’s office entrance to the Driver’s License area there are ceramic tile which are atop asbestos tile.  The abatement for the tile was given at $4,200.  If asbestos is detected in the air afterward, a further cleaning process would add potentially $1,600 to the total.  The amount won’t be clear until after the inspection and removal.  A motion to accept the bid for work to remove the asbestos tile for $4,200, as well as up to $1,600 to complete cleaning of the area if it is needed,
was passed.  

iiiA—Participation Agreement Form

The county was presented with an agreement with iiiA (Idaho Independent Intergovernmental Authority) to sign in order to begin participation in its counseling program.  A motion to do so was approved. 

Solid Waste collection options—Brent Clark

Brent Clark spoke to the commissioners about a garbage business he is planning to start.  He has seen a need for it.  “One thing I see a lot is long lines that people have to bring their cans down to the county road.  Brent is attempting to contract his removal service for underserved areas in the region, and was interested in having his plan approved by the commissioners.  

Jason from IDAWY spoke to the commission and public.  Each county has ordinances in place.  IDAWY serves both counties that collect waste, as well as those the use outside contractors.  He stressed a need to be careful going forward, as there are some services that shouldn’t overlap, or the result will be an increase in the annual fees for collection, as well as landfill use.

Chairman Lewis explained that the county had invested a lot of funds in the waste collection outlay through IDAWY.  

Commissioner Jeppsen asked whether there were areas that IDAWY did not cover in the county.  It was reported that IDAWY does not cover roll-off services, which Clark
could provide.  

Jason reported that IDAWY had been disappointed by the build schedule, and was hoping to begin work soon on the regional landfill.

Clark explained that he had spoken with Tremonton, Albion, and Preston, which have tentatively agreed to accept waste through his operation.   

The ordinance stipulates that private companies are not allowed to compete directly with the county (or IDAWY via contract) for waste collection services.  

The commission took the issue under advisement, and will look into the what the parameters of the county’s agreement with IDAWY allows for in terms of any flexibility.

SEIPH—Maggie Mann

The Public Health Department spoke with the commissioners about the county in comparison to the rest of the state and country, as well as a number of other issues, including WIC, a Medicaid expansion for post-partum care, mortality numbers, and bill in the legislature.

The Opioid Settlement funds have allowed for a counselor to be made available through SEIPH.  Oneida County has not yet determined what do with the settlement funds, but potentially might divert them to the counseling program.  

Deputy Clerk Wage increase—Lon Colton

Lon Colton spoke to the commissioners about a wage increase for Deputy Clerk Shanci Dorius.  Dorius has added a number of duties to her purview over her tenure so far.  In appreciation for her excellent work, Colton recommended increasing Dorius’ step to 2, along with a concomitant wage increase.  

The commissioners expressed positive changes in the administration of the county’s business following Dorius’ hire.  Colton explained that there was still a lot of growth possible in the position, but that Dorius exhibited and exemplified a clear ability to make that growth.  A motion to elevate Dorius to Step 2 in her pay grade was made, and unanimously passed.

Emergency Planning—Local Dams

Commissioner Jeppsen reported that he and others had attended the flood management webinar.  It was reported that quick, early warming could result in issues similar to those that occurred last year.  The Hazard mitigation plan, as well as a FEMA approved list of items for an emergency ready-kit have been posted to the county’s website.  A CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) class is being planned for anyone in the community who would like to be trained in Emergency Response issues.  Information can be found at the Oneida county page at https://www.oneidaid.us/departments/emergency_services.php.  

Hospital Board

Dan Bastian was nominated to replace Kim Jenkins on the
hospital board.  

Update on progress of drone purchased for Weed Department

Cody Clyde is preparing for his pilot license exam for the drone purchased by the county for the application of weed control chemicals.  The drone should be available for use by the county in April.