Caribou County Commission Report 4/13
BPA
Students representing the BPA (Business Professionals of America) - Lane Harris and Gimhana Somasiri - spoke to the commissioners about their upcoming trip to BPA Nationals in Nashville. Along with Bridger Dilworth, they qualified at the recent State Leadership Conference in Boise to attend the National competitive event for the organization.
The group has been fundraising in a number of ways to raise money, and addressed the county commission for additional support. The BPA is the leading Career and Technical Student Organization in Idaho, and provides opportunities for students to prepare for careers in the business work force. Skills learned include public speaking, marketing, and entrepreneurship. The trip is relatively costly, and travel expenses are even higher this year than in the past.
“Going that far, especially from a small town like Soda is not a cheap or easy thing to do,” Somarisi said. Last year, the county donated $2000 to the BPA students to attend Nationals, which they did again from out of the PILT fund.
The students expressed appreciation, and will continue their fundraising and preparation. Anyone wishing to donate to the BPA students, or any of the other organizations such as FCCLA and Speech and Debate that will be attending Nationals can contact the school directly to make any donations.
Public Hearing - Barker Rezone
A public hearing was held over rezoning property south of town under the name Barker from Ag to Low-Density Residential.
A public hearing was held on April 7 at the Planning and Zoning level. Due to the lack of a second to approve recommending the change, a recommendation for the rezone was not produced out of the committee.
The area in question was seeking the rezone in order to potentially create lots smaller than the Ag minimum size in order to provide lots of an intermediate size near town that could be developed into single home lots on around 20, rather than 40 acres.
The property owner recounted the history of the property, which has been the site of residences in the past, and was at one time considered a location for the county landfill site.
The property owner explained that the land had been examined by the Water Resources Board for water viability, the School District had indicated that a bus route could be re-established, and County Emergency Management had given the location a 13 minute response time figure. Alfalfa has been planted in the area to mitigate fire potential.
A record of survey on the splits was done in 2022.
The total area is 75 acres. The land is suited for pasture use, according to the landowner. He said that more than half of the area is on lava rock.
The argument from the landowner/petitioner is that these residential lots would be within the aesthetics of the county, and not represent crowding or a difference from the surrounding areas.
Public comments were taken, during which neighbors spoke to the commission in favor of the rezone. Points expressed in favor were that development would be helpful to the community as a whole, and could attract job applicants who were looking for property of the size being suggested. It was also stated that property owners should be allowed some flexibility for how they use their land.
Following those comments, several other neighboring landowners spoke in opposition to the rezone, requesting a rezone denial, due to the lot size being out of character with the surrounding area, and not meeting aspects of the comprehensive plan.
Points raised as potentially being out of step with the comprehensive plan (the overall vision for growth and community-wide land stewardship put into place by the county to provide a roadmap for development) included the protection of ag land, orderly growth, the prevention of conflict between ag and residential areas, and fragmentation. They believe the introduction of half sized lots into the area would create fragments.
Those in opposition also made the case that a precedent would be set, by establishing a “scattered subdivision” that could be replicated elsewhere in the county.
Other neighbors echoed the first, and reiterated that what brought them to the property was the size. They feel that granting the rezone would diminish the value of the area. The fact that the properties have been purchased is a sign that they are viable at the current size, according to the opposing group.
The public hearing was closed.
The commissioners then discussed the rezone application.
Commissioner Somsen agreed that the property was not great for Ag ground, and that the county was interested in keeping growth close to the cities, rather than out in the county.
“That’s the balancing act we are facing right now,” Chairman Mathews said.
The county commissioners all voted in favor of the rezone.
Buildings and Maintenance--Rowdy Larkins
Larkins spoke to the council about a number of issues, with the main one being the concrete floor of the Event Center, which is reported to be slippery/slick. A fine layer of dust that accumulates on the ground from either sheetrock dust, outdoor elements, or other sources seems to be an issue.
Larkins has been told that as time goes on, the ground will become less slick through use and curing.
Several professionals will be brought in to provide an evaluation of the surface and see what the best solution is.
Road and Bridge--Kevin McLain
The country will be blading roads on the north part of the county early in the week. They are finishing up with the spray bar on the chloride truck. It was noted that the cost of chloride has increased in the past weeks due to global resource and shipping issues.
The crusher needs some repairs to the tune of about $15K. The department is in the process of interviewing for an open position, and they are hopeful that some of the candidates for the position are familiar with the crusher operation and may be able to help reduce costs.
The high school rodeo is coming up at the first of May, and Fairboard Chair Jake Barfuss requested a water truck for the event, which was planned for.
Bridges were noted as a topic that needed to be on the agenda in future meetings, and Commissioner Somsen discussed some of the potentially problematic bridges in the county with McLain.
Culverts were discussed by the commission as a whole.
The per yardage cost of crushing gravel was discussed. Whether leasing equipment for crushing might be more cost effective will be looked into.
Planning and Zoning - Helen Barker
PZ Administrator Helen Barker spoke to the commissioners about Parks issues, including lawncare and landscaping to keep the parks in shape. A group of high school kids have expressed interest, but do not have liability insurance, which the county requires for work done of that type. The commissioners noted that the bid could include funds to cover the insurance costs.
$3850 is a quote from another potential landscaper for two county parks, including the Oregon Trail Marina.
Weekly mowing is another issue, and was quoted for $700/week.
Barker will bring a contract for review with a landscaper once the details are finalized.
The pumphouse needs to be repaired as well.
“It really comes down to what we want to have at the Oregon Trail Marina,” Barker said. She expressed the opinion that she would like to have it look as good as possible.
Commissioner Somsen asked Barker to come up with specific plans for the area, and they would move forward.
The county had been hoping to use a grant to improve the area, but due to a variety of issues the grant is no longer being pursued.
A recent meeting of a group initially started by PacifiCorp concerned with Alexander Reservoir and future use regulations was poorly attended, and the committee may be disbanded, according to information Barker had received. Rocky Mountain Power/PacifiCorp has indicated that they will be posting rules for the use of the reservoir soon at the launch locations. These regulations will include speed and restrictions on wake boating.
RMP has requested that the Caribou County Sheriff’s Office enforce the regulations.
EMS—Kya Simmmons
They are sending one EMT from Bancroft to ISU for the advanced training.
The stairs that go up to the top of the event center have been installed.
They updated their bylaws, policies, and procedures for the first time since 2012.
The county logo for the website is being finalized.
SIPH
Maggie Mann spoke to the commissioners. Budgeting for the Department will be conducted within the week, and a proxy from the county will need to be there.
The largest expense is personnel. Even though some FTEs are being reduced, health insurance costs are increasing. They project a 2.7% decrease in revenue. The county funding request is 3%. Last year, the same increase was offset by the SIPH funds. Overall, there will be a small increase in the budget for this year.
Caribou County led all of the parts of the state in assessed market value.
Largest funding source is federal grants, with the county next, and fee for services below.
SIPH currently does not have a grant writer.
A number of funds used to support SIPH have been eliminated by the state over the last few years.
“Last year was the first year in five years we have asked for an increase,” Mann said.
The county is in the process of starting to set the budget, and with cutbacks from the state dominating the landscape the county was not able to immediately commit to supporting the SIPH budget until a future time.
Mingo Road
Mayor David Pristupa of Grace spoke to the commissioners, providing an update to the bridge project in town. The bridge should be completed by the week of the 20th.
He also discussed the potential chip sealing on North Mingo Road alongside phase 2 of the subdivision.
The mayor and county discussed the schedule for work on the road.
Main Street in Grace is due for work in 2027.
The commissioners asked whether there have been any complaints about the Event Center for purposes of traffic. Mayor Pristupa said that he had not received any such complaints.
Rowdy Larkins noted that the drain the city put in on the property has been working very well.
Judge Brower
District Judge Cody Brower spoke to the commissioners. Jill Stoor is the liaison between the commissioners and the courts. She mentioned that the salary for law clerks is under discussion. Judge Brower explained the activities of the law clerk, and felt that it was not ethical for him to discuss salaries of employees while serving as a judge, but he reported that he felt she was doing an excellent job.
He separately noted that "when it comes to the courtroom, I try to treat everyone with dignity and respect and kindness. I know that they’re there on their hardest days. When people leave I want to make sure they feel that they have been treated well,” Brower said. He praised the work of the staff at the courthouse. “I’m really impressed with the professionalism of the clerks.”
Clerk’s Office—Jill Stoor
The Weed Ordinance has been prepared, and was discussed by the commissioners. Approval for the wording was discussed. A public hearing will be scheduled for two weeks from the time of posting the notice.
The weed ordinance adds some additional weeds to the county’s list of noxious weeds, including Russian Thistle and others.
Budget papers will be going out to department heads soon, as budgeting season approaches.
The vacant part of the annex building, which was formerly used by the Extension Office, has been used by a variety of people through the Clerk’s Office over the last few months. County Coroner Casey Batterton has been in discussion with the county to use some of the space for an office. At present, there is not a dedicated county facility for the coroner.
Other parties have expressed interest in using the building as well.
Clerk Stoor and the commissioners discussed the future of the building. The Health Department has said that they do not need the space to expand their facility, which occupies the other half of the building.
A deep clean of the building will be undertaken soon, as the county decides what to do with the space.
Idaho Wool Growers Association has nominated Jennifer Ellis, and the county motioned to approve the appointment to the District 4 Animal Damage Control Board.
America 250 grant has been received for $2500. This will be used to improve the parade this year. The commissioners discussed a variety of possibilities for using the grant. The primary discussion involved items to be given out during the parade, such as T-shirts, hats, pins, coins, or other items. The items need to be branded with the America 250 logo, but otherwise just need to support the parade, as that was the grant request language.
Commissioner Somsen discussed some of the merchandise that is available through America 250 merchandise vendors. Tote bags, cowbells, stress balls, stickers, and a variety of other things were explored as options. Chairman Mathews noted that he still had a coin he had gotten for the 1976 bicentennial.
Clerk Stoor received a call about the potential for a home burial within the county. There is currently no specific ordinance regarding this in the county, but PZ Administrator Helen Barker and the county will look into it.
