Weather cameras

Dianna Dredge spoke to the commissioners about a potential purchase of weather cameras for the department.  The cameras gather surface temperature, air temperature, dew point, humidity, and etc, and they allow for a weather prediction sixteen hours out.  The cameras would let the road department have remote information useful for making decisions about how and when to deploy resources throughout the county, especially on the west side, where information from Stone and Juniper is currently limited.  The cameras would be maintained by the county, though they will be leased from the company who would provide software and hardware updating and support.  The cameras would carry a $3,000 price tag as a yearly leasing fee.  The company, Frost Solutions, will provide further information to Dredge, for discussion in a later meeting.

Engineering for rumble strip

Lisa Baker spoke to the commission about bids for a rumble strip study.  2 notifications for intent to bid were received for the project.  LHTAC will rank the bids, which will then be selected by a representative of the commission, the Road and Bridge department, and LHTAC.  Dianna Dredge and Ken Eliason will fulfill those roles from the county.  Ultimately, the project should lead to the addition of rumble strips to sections of roadway within the county.  

Part time employee in Sheriff’s department

Doug Williams from the Sheriff’s office spoke to the commissioners about a salary for a part time employee in the office.  Williams referenced a line item in the department’s budget for part time employees on the books.  The sheriff’s office had requested an increase in the hourly rate for part time employees, including dispatch and reserve.  Pay was increased for the positions in the last budget year, but the office suggested that the wages had not been sufficient to bring in many applications.  The commissioners were leery of raising the pay rate again so soon after the previous increase.  Williams clarified that he was requesting that the line item for the position itself be used to increase the wages, which would not affect the overall budget.  The commissioners asked for a more detailed proposal from the sheriff’s office before making any decisions that would have such a large impact on the budget.  

Public lands 

assessment

A proposal to conduct a public land assessment has been received.  This study would be used to provide support for the county seeking PILT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) funds for federal lands in the county.  Chairman Lewis felt that speaking to the other counties involved in the 4-CASI group before moving forward would be the next step.  

Drone for weed spraying

Commissioners spoke with the Weed department about the potential purchase of drones for spraying.  The choices have been narrowed down, and the commissioners opted to wait for a details expense proposal before making a purchase decision.

Building repair

Tory Richardson spoke to the commission about bids for repair on the county annex building.  Vinyl siding needs to be replaced, as well as rain gutters and some other miscellaneous items.  Funds for the repair will be taken out of the one-time expenses budget for $46,435 from Hess Building Contractors to repair the annex building. 

The courthouse was also discussed.  Automatic locks for the doors have also been priced.  Additional doors in the building were discovered to have been in need of access control under the new design plan.  The project would require 3 communication hubs, the door equipment, and a license for the security system.  2 exterior doors and a number of interior doors would be updated.  After discussing the layout, it was determined that a new bid would be needed to account for a few remaining items to be included.

ADA compliant cabinets for county offices were discussed.  Cost effective strategies for bringing materials into compliance were considered.  Wheelchair access routes, and suitable heights for cabinets, tables, and other furniture are all parts of the compliance mandate.  The project hours should be minimal, as the materials are being built elsewhere and then installed during a short session, avoiding much interference with the daily operation of the courthouse.   The carpet in the courthouse is also in need of replacement.  The cabinets which need to be replaced are currently on top of the carpet, so the question of whether to include the carpet work at the same time was raised.  A current bid for the carpet is not available, but Chairman Lewis felt that the cabinet and desk project should not be delayed any more than was necessary.  

A motion to fund just over thirty-two thousand dollars for ADA work on cabinets in the courthouse was approved.  

The Event Center was also up for discussion.  Bids for a backup generator for the Event Center have been received.  $10,000 would include a new tank and a line.  The county will pour a pad of concrete.  D and T Electric will take care of the wiring.  The commission requested a more detailed timeline for the project before accepting any bids.

The roof for the Event Center is also in need of repair.  Additional items are needed for the rain gutters to protect against snow accumulation, as well as additional downspouts.  A motion to accept the bid from Stainless Steel siding for new rain gutters and snow jacks for $3,300 was approved from the one-time expense budget.

Road and Bridge building needs a handicapped compliant parking spot.  The roof line will be extended to cover both entryways for the building.  A bid for $21,200 for a concrete porch and roof cover was approved from Purdum Construction, LLC from one-time expenses.  

Assessor—

resolution

Documents planned for destruction by the assessor’s office were discussed.  Resolutions are required for all official record destruction under the Records Retention policy.  Depending on their type, documents are required to be kept for certain lengths of time, which requires a thorough inventory.  Kathleen Atkinson is still in the process of making that determination.  The state and counties throughout the state each have their own retention schedules.  Attorney Brower suggested that establishing a clear countywide schedule for document destruction by type would make the process more streamlined and efficient in the future.  Chairman Lewis suggested looking into and then creating a policy within the next few commission meetings.  The importance of scanning documents as a backup before destruction was discussed. 

Docks at Deep Creek and Crowthers

Commissioner Jeppsen provided an update on the Deep Creek project.  Fish and Game reported on the status of the docks at the facility.  The docks were purchased by the county in 2003.  Fish and Game have located some of the docks that could not be accounted for and retrieved them to the surface.  Fish and Game is willing to maintain the docks.  The county plans to inventory its stores and reservoirs for any other missing dock infrastructure that may be in its possession but not visible from aerial images.  

Rocky Mountain Power

Steve Leckie from Rocky Mountain Power spoke to the commission to provide an update on the Gateway West Transmission Line project.  Rachel Roberts, Pacific Corps project manager was joined by a number of other project managers and deputies to discuss the ongoing project, as well as representatives from the BLM.

The route for the line comes from the environmental impact study conducted in 2012.  Gateway West is a joint project between Idaho Power and Pacific Corps (the parent company of Rocky Mountain Power).  A number of miles of the project will run through Oneida County.  The total project covers 1,000 miles.  The prior steps in the project have been completed, and it is now entering the implementation phase.  

Segment E is the route that runs through Oneida.  The segment runs from Downey to Melba, with 5 and 7 specifically in the county.  No structures or access roads are covered by the path.  Steel lattice structures at 1,200 feet apart will be located along the corridor.  Segments 5 and 7 cover 36.5 miles through the county.  

Construction should begin in 2027, and be completed by 2030.