Caribou County Commissioners
The Caribou County Board of Commissioners met for a regular meeting on December 9.
Kevin McClain—Road and Bridgee
McClain spoke to the commissioners about a 30 inch culvert that needs to be fixed/replaced near the Fish Creek road.
The culvert near the Oregon Trail was discussed. Something that would fit the size and stress of traffic was discussed on the old Oregon Trail road where it crosses Soda Canal.
Issue with several other culverts in county were discussed, in terms of flow issues, as well as general structural integrity.
A potential add-on to the Weed Shop, which would also potentially be used by the Road department was discussed. The trailer house currently on the location would be moved off site in the case a new structure was put up.
Commissioner Somsen asked about a purchase for the department involving leaf springs. McClain explained that the lack of availability was likely due to the higher price for the item in question, especially at this time of the year.
The department recently helped with the Event Center project by hauling in material that was needed.
Two employees needed to be paid out for unused comp time. McClain asked whether it would be possible to change the dates for the deadline to use or pay out comp time to the first of November.
A motion to pay out the employees was approved for comp time accrued.
Tisha Young
Optimize Benefit broker communicated with the clerk’s office about their services. Right now the county has several insurance carriers, and it was unclear immediately what the benefit of taking on a consolidated brokerage to manage the accounts would be to the county. The commissioners decided to wait until more information was presented by the brokerage before making any decisions about contracting their services. The county noted that the current benefits available to county employees are communicated through email at present.
Dillon Liechty and Kent Loosle
Erika Dannelly joined Kent Loosle and Dillon Leichty to speak to the commissioners as part of a semi-regular update. Loosle advised the commissioners about several new employees, one provider and a nurse/dietician who had joined the hospital since the last time Loosle spoke to the commission. A General Surgeon—Dr. Bryce—has also been added. He will function as a surgeon on-call for the hospital, which would allow for a responsive operating setup.
Loosle also discussed the planned Grace clinic. The building will be large enough to house two providers, and a full range of local services.
A “patient navigation system” has been implemented. Patient navigators are nurses who will help people navigate their way through the health care system in place at CMC. “We’ve all experienced a situation where you’ve gone through the ER, gotten home and then thought ‘what’s next?’”
Clinical education is also a focus for CMC. A clinical administrator/educator will be providing education for providers to make the process easier.
Erika Dannelly has been promoting the resources and involvement of the hospital in the community, and was introduced to the commissioners by CEO Loosle.
The DaVinci surgical robot has been upgraded. Last week, the CMC had an open house with the machine. The hospital’s lease on the DV was up, and a newer, upgraded version is in place. The point of the machine is to allow for shorter healing times through the use of more efficient, less extensive incisions.
“Where we continue to use those robotic surgeries with our patients we will over time be able to add to the services that they can do. Anybody coming out of school, you wouldn’t need to train for this, since that’s how they train them now.”
Chairman Mathews asked about the progress in Grace. A survey process is under way, which will need to be completed before a bid.
A new facility in Soda is also still under consideration. There are plans toward new construction. “2024 was a good year for us—we’ve gone from the red to the black.”
Asked whether there was anything the county could do to speed the process, Liecthy lightheartedly answered, “Not unless you can get a survey here faster than we can.”
Rowdy Larkins—Building and Maintenance
Larkins spoke to the commissioners on a number of issues.
Change orders for the Event Center project were discussed. Larkins noted that the plans only had one meter for electrical. He wondered whether it would be wise to have two meters—one for the fire department and the other for county offices and the center itself. This would potentially make billing easier. Chairman Mathews questioned whether the cost would be justified. Larkins suggested that the cost could be minimized, but there would be a price tag for it. Commissioner Somsen asked for specific numbers before the commission felt comfortable making a decision on the issue.
The metering and setup of the water filling for the planned fire station was also discussed. The plans were to make the trucks fillable from the building itself, which would have a two inch line.
The compaction of the gravel was being finished.
The removals of trees at the location was authorized. Bids for taking the trees down, leaving the big wood and four foot stump was $3500 from Raven’s Tree Service.
Dwight Lloyd
Lloyd thanked the commissioners for the Christmas bonus to employees.
A bathroom for the Weed Shop was discussed. In conjunction with Kevin McClain, Lloyd brought up the potential for an addition to the Weed Shop area. The same shape for the building would be maintained, but it would be extended to the east and west. One more bay would house what Lloyd needs, as well as provide office space and bathrooms. The commissioners asked for a cost breakdown in order to consider the plan. The combined budgets of the Weed and RB departments would be used toward the costs, but depending on how extensive the plan became, it would likely need to be put out for bid.
Water issues with the building were also discussed. Sediment in the system has been a problem with clogging the equipment.
The commissioners asked for a ballpark figure, as well as a figure from the department budgets about what kinds of funds they would be able to use toward the project.
Commissioner Somsen raised the issue of the proposed contract with Bonneville county for plowing. Bonneville officials asked about some of the specifics of the contract related to overtime considerations. Caribou County plows roads in Caribou County near the Grays Lake area during the winter.
Aly Shwulst
Schwulst spoke to the Commissioners about the addressing fee. Only Bannock and Bingham charged an addressing fee. Oneida and other surrounding counties do not charge a fee. Last year, $9,900 was brought in through the fees, which are attached to address posting. A resolution to change the fee to $100, from $300 will be needed. The cost for acquiring an address is handled by the county. The building permits for properties were noted as being lower than the national average already. A resolution was requested for publication. The date of the resolution will be its effective date, which would be the first commissioner meeting in January.
A private road is $250. A private road is over a half mile, as opposed to a driveway or approach, which is not charged. Mathews suggested that the cost should overlap with the address fee.
Helen Barker
Helen Barker spoke to the Commissioners about Planning and Zoning issues. Signs for recreational districts were discussed. Some issues about the regulations of buildings in recreation zones were raised. Some homes in the Pebble Creek area were specifically
in question.
Attorney Doug Wood was asked what would happen when emergency vehicles were not able to access areas which had been given deeds in the county. Wood suggested that building permits should not be issued to properties that posed a risk to the county. A sign which clarified that emergency vehicles would not be able to access areas would potentially provide some legal notice to homeowners and potential buyers about the limitations on building in the area.
It was noted by Commissioner Somsen that it had been found that signs which are placed near an American flag have been found to be half as likely to be shot at, which is a persistent problem in rural areas.
The signs will be in the right of way, but out of snow removal areas. Caribou Village, Squaw Creek, and Pebble Creek are the areas where the signs would be put up.
Due to the nature of the area, there are a number of building restrictions on the land, which have led to complaints in the past. The signs should make those interested in buying or building in the area aware of those restrictions.
Jill Stoor
Clerk Stoor noted that she had received a number of thank yous from employees about Christmas bonuses.
The state has communicated that they would like the county to take Juneteenth off, which the court itself does, though the timing hasn’t been deemed as good for employees as the extra day near Thanksgiving.
Doug Wood
Wood showed the commissioners what the technology in his office currently was for playback. He currently has what appears to be a 19” CRT RCA TV from the late 90s, with an onboard VCR tray. A new monitor/TV with USB ports and HDMIs was what he was looking for. Up to $1200 for the purchase was approved.
Road maintenance in the Caribou Village subdivision was discussed. The roads have created issues with regard to the snow equipment. Wood pulled the original documents regarding the subdivision, which clarifies that the county noted in the original platting that it was not responsible for snow removal on private roads. This, apparently, is not widely known by the residents, especially as the county has worked the roads at times. The paperwork is from 1981, which legally demarcates the county’s responsibilities for the roads, which do not include plowing. The county could “take” the roads for its inventory, which would allow them to plow it. Otherwise, an agreement would need to be in place before any work can be done.
The increasing numbers of people in the subdivision, and the condition of the road, make it necessary to come to some arrangement before too long.
