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APPROVED
COMMISSIONER MEETING OF August 24, 2026
The Caribou County Commissioners met in regular session on August 24, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Those in
attendance were:
Mark Mathews, Commissioner, Chairman J. Adam Mabey, Sheriff
Bryce Somsen, Commissioner CeJay Golightly, Soda Springs Police Chief
Jill Stoor, Clerk Justin Hatch, Extension Office
Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge Helen Barker, P&Z & Parks
Dwight Lloyd, Weed Control George Hulse
McCoy Gunnell Angie Mendenhall, Treasurer
Tisha Young, Chief Deputy Clerk
The meeting opened with Bryce Somsen leading the pledge of allegiance and prayer.
Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge:
Kevin shared that weather permitting, they will be oiling the Mingo Road over next two days. This is an exchange
project with the city for crushing gravel. They will then move to McPherson Canyon And that will complete the oiling
for the year.
He shared progress on the new shop in Soda Springs. He has room in capital outlay and would like to get bids on
some cement work in several bays in an effort mitigate any water issues. They would also like to take down the wall
on the front since the openings are so tall and also look at the possibility of also using one bay as a welding shop.
The board agreed and he will bring quotes at a later time.
They received a bid on a new printer for the office at Road & Bridge. The lease is at $94.00 per month, which is less
money that what they are currently spending on printer Cartridges alone.
Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve a lease with Dex Imaging for a Sharp epc131 with a base amount
at $94.00 per month; this lease includes 1500 black and white copies. Commissioner Mathews seconded.
Motion passed.
They completed the chip seal on Blackfoot River Rd. to the Allen property and will mark road with a center line. A
Ruveon representative spoke with Kevin asked for any improvement to help with safety on the Blackfoot River Road.
Safety concerns were discussed including the addition of speed limit signs and added law enforcement presence.
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Dwight Lloyd, Weed Control:
e Dwight gave an update on progress and completion being close with the spraying this year. His seasonal employees
will be working only 2 more weeks.
e Dwight introduce McCoy Gunnel who has provided drone spraying service on properties and a gravel pit in the Grace
area. The discussion was held on opening back roads in the spring. McCoy presented the idea of using the drones
to drop humate to help melt the roads in the spring. He shared information from USU and suggest use on the back
roads to test the product and see what it could do to help reduce the wear and tear on equipment. Kevin stated that
Summit View would be a good road as well as near Olsen’s by the dam; Williamsburg may be another potential test
site. Comm Mathews suggested mapping the road in the fall and asked questions on the amount distance the drone
could cover. McCoy stated that he estimates it covering up to 300 miles with just one pass to cover the entire road.
The commissioners are willing to look at it more and give it consideration for spring next year. Discussion was held
on problems opening the roads and McCoy suggested that Utah State may be interested in partnering. Mark question
if you need a carrier and McCoy responded that he has experience with using a fertilizer.
McCoy has also spoken with IDAWY about the possibility of seeding out at the new regional landfill. The subject of
spraying for mosquitos is another potential use for the drone spraying. Spraying standing water as well as fogging
could be assisted. He has been learning from Bannock County and would be interested in picking a test site and see
if the difference is noticeable. Potential sites discussed were Kelly Park, Alexander, Grays Lake or Chesterfield.
Tisha Young, Payroll, Executive Session:
Commissioner Somsen made a motion to convene and executive session pursuant to I.C. 74-206(b) at 9:38
a.m. Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Both approve the motion.
Commissioner Somsen suggested ending the executive session at 10:02 a.m. No decisions were made.
J. Adam Mabey, Sheriff:
e Sherriff Mabey stated that their personnel up to date and fully staffed. The had an inmate with shingles which turned
to chicken pox with several other inmates which required quarantining four inmates. The medical personnel were on
top of it and have it taken care of it.
¢ Summit Foods will be raising rates for their food services; however, the budget will be able to absorb it.
Chief Golightly, City of Soda Springs:
e Sheriff Maybe stated that he and Chief Golightly have been working together to prepare a mutual aid agreement
which would be beneficial to both organizations. The Sheriff stated that the chief has done the legwork and
discussions have been ongoing. They will continue finalizing the M.O.U. with the commissioner's approval. He said
that there would be no financial impacts to either entity and this is not a cross deputized situation. The purpose has
more to do with making sure there are guardrails in place.
[ETERS SEE
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Chief Golightly stated that he is is grateful to formalize the M.O.U. to give protections to both organizations. They
want to work together to mutually beneficially to the citizens of both the county and city. This would give the added
protections for his officers and cited an example of the threat at North Gem School District as an event where both
agencies were needed and worked well together. He wants to work together to give effective law enforcement for our
rural community.
Sheriff stated that the city has been willing to assist whenever asked and this would give them a liability barrier which
could help them out. Chief stated that each department would cover their own costs and this is very typical with rural
law enforcement and benefits all to work together. The agreement would automatically renew each year with
processes in place to withdraw if ever needed. The commissioners thanked them for working together and agreed
with moving forward with a formal agreement.
Rowdy Larkins, P&Z — Helen Barker, P&Z & Parks:
e Rowdy notified the board that the Soda Springs Rotary Club asked for permission to use the chairs for a 9-11
ceremony. Concerns were discussed about where, when, transportation, hauling, cleaning, etc. Without more
information, the board was reluctant and offered donating the rental fee for possible use of the Event Center.
e Rowdy and Helen presented a proposal to switch from Cloud Permit to GovWell, a new permitting software that offers
Al assistance, county code implementation, 24/7 support, plan review process with contractors, and a more user-
friendly public portal. The new system would cost $9,000 annually plus a $4,000 implementation fee, with Al features
costing an estimated $5,000 in the second year. The transition would begin 6 months before the current contract ends
in November 2027, with implementation fees covered in the upcoming budget year.
e Helen noted that while the Alexander is down, this would be good timing to get pump house fixed at the Oregon Trail
Marina Park. Rocky Mountain stated that they will start filling the reservoir September 1st. Options were discussed
on how to replace and the timing, including redirecting to an above ground system. It could then be pulled in the
winter or for needed repairs in the future.
Ross Harris:
Ross contacted Commissioner Mathews and cancelled.
Justin Hatch, Extension Office:
e Justin stated that he was happy with the Fair this year and the progress the program is having. He would like to start
presenting and annual report on the extension office. They had a total of 262 kids participate in the 4-H Program this
year with 587 projects for the fair from the 4-H kids and 189 from the Cloverbud kids. The market animal program
had 120 kids participate and the sale total was just over $370,000 and they sold 102 animals. There were 18
participants that were not able to show or sell. 31 kids participated in the shooting program; 34 kids in the horse
program. All who qualified to go to state are going to participate in Blackfoot. 7 showed in the dog show will all going
to state. The Ag Education day was a big success in April with 351 elementary age kids attending from the Soda and
Grace elementary schools and are hoping for North Gem next year. Baby animal days saw 241 people. They also
Commissioner Minutes 08-24-2026
Page 3
held a Southeast Idaho Judging Clinic where 90 kids came from around the area. They are happy with the program
and their many volunteers. He presented a report on the sale to the board and commented on the improvements to
the barn and with changes to the sale.
e Justin express concerns with being shorthanded this fall due to an employee illness. He would like to see more hours
approved for his staff. A discussion was held on his budget overages and suggested that they look at changing office
hours to accommodate.
Angie Mendenhall, Treasurer:
e Angie presented information on a retumed check for an address fee. She Stated that she was able to contact Tom
Calton who then suspended the address. He was also able to contact the party and collect the fee by electronic
check.
Doug Wood, Prosecutor:
e Doug did not have any business to present.
Jill Stoor, Clerk:
e Jill informed the board of a new life flight service proposal and the board was open to listening to a presentation at a
future meeting.
e She discussed a four-county mutual agreement that needs to be reviewed before the September 9th Four County
Commissioner meeting.
e Jill presented a certificate of residency that requires approval.
Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve the certificate of residency for the student listed. Commissioner
Mathews seconded the motion and the motion passed.
e She asked about the insurance proposal from Opti Vise, noting a small cost saving over Delta Dental, the board was
not opposed to a future presentation, however decided to Stay with the current carrier for the upcoming fiscal year.
e Upcoming events were discussed, including the Four County Meeting on September 9th and the IAC convention
Starting September 21st, with attendance confirmed for some. The group also noted an IAC District 5 meeting on
November 12th,
PUBLIC HEARING - FY2027 BUDGET
Commissioner Somsen made a motion to open the public hearing at 11:31 a.m. Commissioner Mathews
Seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Jill presented the following information for the Caribou County Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Budget has been published in the Idaho Enterprise for the past two weeks. The following
amounts were presented:
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Expenses:
Salaries $5,816,970, .37
Benefits $3,454,488.25
Other $8,991 ,082.89
Total Expenses $18,262,541.51
Revenues:
Cash Forward $3,486,340.51
Proposed Taxes $7,030, 156.00
Intergovernmental Sources $4,500,500.00
Grants $85,000.00
Fees $1,285,000.00
Ag Replacement $87,626.00
Personal Property Replacement $92,481.00
Kilowatt Replacement $316,551.00
Other $1,378,887.00
Total Revenues $18,262,541.51
Total expenses are down $444,679.53 with the largest decrease coming from the Road & Bridge Department. This is
due to the anticipated state shortfall and reduction in Surplus funding. The largest increase is coming from the Sheriff's
Office with increases expenses of $249,533.42.
Revenues are down overall at $362,920 - that calculation does not include the levy or cash forward. These decreases
are mainly due to lower projected revenues from the State specifically from ITD for the Road & Bridge Department. This
amount would have been lower without the addition of the Kilowatt replacement dollars that are new this year. They
increased our revenue, however lowered our ability to levy; it is really just a shift on how the dollars are collected from the
utility companies.
As shown on the L2, the levy rate will decrease .000078405 from Fiscal Year 2026 at .003306011 to Fiscal Year 2027 at
003227606. That calculates as a decrease of $7.84 per $100,000.00 of property value. Those levies are estimated
amounts until we receive the operating property values from the state in September.
An error that was discovered on the payroll spreadsheet after the publication was prepared. The $1,000 bonus that was
proposed is included in the total salary and then again in their own bonus lines. We were trying to add it to calculate Persi
/ FICA/ Medicare amounts - however the bonus amounts should have backed it out when it was entered into Computer
Arts program. We could potentially reduce the budget by that amount and bring down our cash forward. She would like
fo recommend that we use it as cash forward for FY2028 because we will have an extra payroll in the next fiscal year.
The average payroll is $223,729.63 without taxes and benefits. This would help to spread the one-time increase over 2
fiscal years.
Commissioner Somsen made a motion to close the public hearing at 11:45 a.m. Commissioner Mathews
seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Commissioner Minutes 08-24-2026
Page 5
Commissioner Mathews opened the floor for public comment:
Comments were made by Rowdy Larkins and Angie Mendenhall concerning requested raises and bonus amounts that
were not approved. The board explained the cost of living raise of 3% across the staff and an approved bonus of $1000.
Commissioner Mathews spoke to the 12% increase for the cost of health insurance and the revenue decreases that
prevented them from other increases. The board is still discussing a reduction in responsibilities for Rowdy or an
additional employee to assist. They also explained the increase in the elected official salaries and the inability to receive
abonus. Angie commented that she will continue to push for a larger bonus based solely on a percentage of the numbers
that she is bringing into the county on investments.
Jill stated that she has prepared Caribou County Resolution 2026-06 which reflects the numbers previously stated and
asked for approval of that resolution.
Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve Resolution 2026-06 to approve the Caribou County budget for all
county funds for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year including the L2 paperwork for the Idaho State Tax Commission.
Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Other:
e Commissioner McCullough made a motion to accept the agenda as presented for 8/24/2026 with the removal
of Ross Harris. Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed.
e Commissioner McCullough made a motion to approve the minutes of 07/27/2026 as presented, the claims
approval report in the amount of $239,521.24 and the payroll claims in the amount of $291,433.27 for
8/21/2026. Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.
e The meeting adjourned at 12:21 p.m. The Caribou County Board of Commissioners will meet again on September
12, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. for regular meeting.
Signed: Mark Mathews, Commissioner Chair Attested: Jill Stoor, Clerk
Commissioner Minutes 08-24-2026
Page 6
Approved Payment of Bills
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