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Caribou County

Minutes

minutes meeting date 2026-01-12 · fetched 2026-09-09 · 23199 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text

COMMISSIONER MEETING OF January 12, 2026

The Caribou County Commissioners met in regular session on January 12, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Those in
attendance were:

Mark Mathews, Commissioner Chairman Walter Wadman, SS

Bryce Somsen, Commissioner Dan Mason

Marty McCullough, Commissioner Brandon Hopkins

Jill Stoor, Clerk A.H.

Doug Wood, Prosecutor Kevin Corder

Sharlene Simons, Deputy Clerk Gaylene Hopkins

Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge Kirt

Dwight Lloyd, Weed Dept. Jeff Godfrey

Eric Hobson, Public Safety Jon Godfrey & Marley

Kya Simmons, Public Safety Russ Roper, Sheriffs Office
Rowdy Larkins, Maint. & Building Kelton Hatch

Helen Barker, P&Z Jenni Hatch

Corey Hopkins Justin Hatch, CC Ext.

Chet Hopkins Aaron Cook, Assessor
Dustyn Ayers Brandon Hall, The Idaho Enterprise

Paul Gritton, City of Soda Springs

The meeting opened with Marty McCullough leading the pledge of allegiance and prayer.

Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge:

Kevin said that with the lack of snow they have been doing a lot of side projects.

He mentioned that they have been bringing in the trucks and trailers and going through brakes and all the mechanical
components on them to make them more road worthy.

He has some crew members headed to Pocatello today getting 30 inch culverts. The Nipper Road has a lot of culverts
that are starting to fail and with the open winter they thought it would be good to get them replaced before the runoff
hits.

They have redone the sign trailer; the floor was bad and falling out of it.

Last week they went around and trimmed trees in Soda, Grace and Chesterfield.

They are in the process of rebuilding the chute on the crusher.

Thursday they will be going to the ITD District 5 Coalition meeting in Preston. Kevin touched base with the new
Lincoln County Supervisor named Lindsay Gardner. He wants to meet at Crow Creek where Intermountain Gas
came down through with their new gas line. Where they have crisscrossed the road a few different places, the
trenches are starting to settle, some places they have narrowed the road up but Lindsay wanted to go over and look
at it. After speaking with Hal Heiner last week, the old road boss use to live just North of the Freedom Church house.

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Page 1

He run a snowplow over there and did a bunch of the sanding on that agreement that the County has with Lincoln
County and it has not been getting done lately. When Kevin meets with Lindsay and Hal he will find out what they
have done in the past and make sure they are still willing to do that and move forward with this new supervisor. After
they meet they will contact Intermountain Gas as well.

e Kevin shared that there is an ongoing issue on Lago-Bench from the Y where the Log House is. It is buckling in the
middle of the road. Itis settling and hopefully in the spring time they can get a better base on the road. He mentioned
that the road on Clemens Hill turned out pretty well.

e He said that by Kenna Cutlers mom’s place was a smell of Gas so he suspected something may have been hit. He
shared that Intermountain Gas was there and it wasn’t in the road way. He did say that by Little Johnny's or Big
Johnny's Hole is a culvert that is plugged off and they will probably replace it.

e He has not met with Stanley Christensen and he said the water is not going to move through there. Kevin will meet
with Stanley when he calls Kevin.

e Kevin would like to go a Metroquip meeting tomorrow in Boise to see if he can learn something to help with the road
on asphalt rehab and restoration. The Board approved him staying the night.

e Commissioner Somsen suggested that if they have time and needed something to do, the parking lot in Lago could
be worked on.

e Commissioner Somsen mentioned that there were a lot of parts picked up at NAPA and not from Car Quest. The
filters should be purchased only from NAPA but the parts should be shared with the other stores.

e Commissioner McCullough shared that people are parking in the bus turnaround at Wood Canyon. He asked if there
could be a sign put up there. Kevin will check into this.

Eric Hobson, Fire/Ambulance:

e Eric has 2 purchase items. First, he talked about radios being purchased. They would like to purchase (4) more
portable radios with them costing a total of $11,999.36. He mentioned that with the EMT class going, if all pass they
will be short radios. This would be from Kenwood.

¢ Commissioner Somsen motion to approve the purchase of 4 Kenwood BP5000 radios with accessories from
White Cloud Communications for a total price of $11,999.36 from the SRS Funds. Commissioner McCullough
seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e The second purchase he wanted to talk about was with Revise and they make battery packs that slip to the bottom
of the Starlink Mini. They are thinking of buying 2 of these setups that are about $600. It these are not being used
they only cost $5 a month to sit idle, if they are turned on it is $50 a month. This way they can turn off the Satellite
phone. There was no motion at this time.

e Eric talked about the county fire ordinance 5.16 and said that it may need some updating as there are some mistakes
made when this was updated. The Board asked Eric to draft a new one and Jill will help as there will need to be 2
publications published and hold a public hearing to pass the updated ordinance.

e Eric then talked about the E911 ordinance and that it was Eric’s position that was over that fund and the new ordinance
shifted that over to the Sheriff. He asked if this really changes to the Sheriff or stays with Eric. It was suggested that
Eric be over the E911 Fund to maintain check and balances.

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e Concerning the Grace building;
The mount for the antennae was not installed, this will now require putting a mount on the building. There was
discussion on how to do this and It was suggested to self-tap.
There is no ethernet on his side of the building. He asked where/how to install this.
The garage doors do not have remote openers. Rowdy mentioned that this is on his punch list.
The two outer bays are not sloped into the drain which causes the water to run back into the Event Center. Rowdy
with talk to Brian about this.

e The EMT class lost one student but still has 13 students and 5 more weeks to go and then they should have everyone
Off to testing.

e ISU opened up their advanced class again and 3 have signed up. Itis $1000 and we will have them sign up and go
through the summer. He would like to offer them dinner on those night they travel to Pocatello. This will start in May.

e They are ordering a set of turnouts for Kya. This will cost about $2000.

e Water equivalent; With this being a strange winter the Almanac and the Weather Service are saying opposite things.
The snow water equivalent went down this week. With a 20 year average the Bear River right now is at 99%, Blackfoot
is 101%, the Snake River is 127%, and Portneuf is 58%. He will keep watching this.

Rowdy Larkins, Courthouse Maintenance/Building Dept:

e Rowdy shared that the floor at the Event Center is slick so he presented a change order #28 concerning floor traction
at the Event Center where they can put a clear seal on it with some grit in it. The Board asked if this is something
the county can do? There are concern about using the grit as well. Rowdy can check with other counties to see what
they have done. No action was taken on this.

e He then shared a quote on vacuums from Gem State Paper. The prices range from $9,678.23 which is a ride-on to
$4,167.82 which is a walk-behind. These could be used in the classroom as well. It was suggested to find another
quote for comparison.

e Rowdy stated that the Internet is bored in at the Grace Building and hopefully TJ can work on that tomorrow.

e Scott's Lock and Key came and looked at the doors so that it can be on the same system that the Courthouse is on.

e Rowdy suggested deciding what is going to be done with the Annex Building. Jill shared that there is a safe that
needs to be moved from that location

e The Courthouse heater unit is causing issues. The thermostats are not staying on, they keep kicking off. He has had
a tech here trying to troubleshoot what the problem is. They are still working on this and trying to find options that
won't be obsolete in a few years.

e The generator is still on schedule for being replaced in mid-February.

Dwight Lloyd, Weed Control:

e Dwight would like to get a couple of bids for insulating his shop. He is concerned about the cost of the propane his
is using. He will get a few quotes and bring them back next month.

e He talked to Commissioner Somsen about the Russian Thistle and Kochia weeds. Commissioner Somsen has a
conference call with Director Tewalt, Idaho State Department of Agriculture this afternoon with Jeff Godfrey. Dwight
suggested speaking about Russian Olive due to the water issue.

e He talked to Kevin about the rocks and Kevin got Bonneville right on it to help with those being moved off of the right-
of-way on the Bridge Creek Road.

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Dillon Liechty/Kent Loosle—Caribou Medical Clinic:
Corey & Chet Hopkins:

Last month Corey came in and talked about having the snow plowed to the boat ramp at Blackfoot Reservoir and he
has since talked to the BLM Field Management. Blaine called Commissioner Somsen and mentioned that we already
have that agreement. The Board asked if this is really going to be used, and the response from those in attendance
agreed that it would be used and then the Board shared that they just need to be careful so they are not opening
access for all places.

Kevin shared the logistical aspect of this is that it may not be priority but will be done as soon as they can. There
were many in support here today. Kevin mentioned that there are electrical boxes that need to be marked so they
are not damaged.

Chet spoke and said he has put posts by the power and has put up snow flags. He feels that this will resolve issues
with the land owners there. He also mentioned the road going across the dyke is needing repairs due to the pot
holes. He mentioned that Fish & Game are in favor of this access.

Dusty Ayers spoke concerning residents complaining about the trailers being parked in their way.

Kevin Corder spoke about the trailers being parked on the Henry Cutoff Road and it is blind coming from the north.
He requested that they plow a lot off the North Access Road. The Board shared that this would be the state, and they
will talk and see if Walt could do this.

Helen Barker, P&Z:

Helen would like a final decision in regards to the RV Park and withdrawing from the grant. It was agreed by the
Board to withdraw from the grant but they would like to see it cleaned up. She thought that if there was money to put
in the fire rings and picnic tables and have the weeds sprayed early on that would definitely help. She shared that
the irrigation system will need to be fixed as well. Helen also stated that she is only one person and can only do so
much. Angie Mendenhall asked who takes care of the lawns and Helen shared that there is currently no one to do
that. The board asked for a list of what needs to be done at each of the parks. Doug mentioned that there are service
groups that are willing to help.

Commissioner McCullough made a motion to not move forward with the Oregon Trail Parks Grant.
Commissioner Somsen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Commissioner Somsen made a motion to convene an executive session for 74-206 (b) at 10:54 a.m.
Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Commissioner Somsen voted aye; Commissioner
McCullough voted aye; Commissioner Mathews voted aye. The motion passed and the executive session
began.

Commissioner Somsen suggested ending the executive session at 11:02 a.m. No decisions were made.

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Page 4

Jeff Godfrey:

e Jeff would like to get a couple of weeds on the noxious weed list. Those weeds are Kochia and Russian Thistle. Jeff
shared that they have been diligent to cleaning this up but when other people do not it is hard to keep up with this.
Commissioner Somsen mentioned that they having been talking to Senator Harris. Senator Harris has talked the
State Dept of Agriculture and a Director Tewalt will be on a phone call about this today with Jeff and Commissioner
Somsen.

Jeff shared that he has a hard time reaching Dwight to see if Jeff could spray at the park near him, but never could
get ahold of Dwight so they didn't spray. He asked about the weed day and does the county still do this.

He also stated that there are weeds that aren’t being cleaned up in other areas. Kevin shared that some of the
chemical is not strong enough that Dwight is able to use.

e Jeff wanted to address a cattle guard he would like to put in. He has neighbors’ cows getting into his property and
wanted to know the procedure to do this. This is out by Enoch Valley. Kevin shared that prior, whoever wanted these
put in purchased the guard and blocks, and then the county would put them in.

e Kevin shared concern about weeds not being taken care of due to farmers wanting to help with the soil buildup and
erosion/conservation. He asked if the county has any control of that. He is wondering if this is contributing to the
weed problems.

Jessica Thurman:

e Jessica Thurman (McCulloch) currently holds the title of Mrs. Caribou County and is competing for Mrs. Idaho. She
shared a little background on herself stating that she was born and raised in Caribou County and graduated from
North Gem High School. She is currently involved in Search and Rescue, she is an EMT and works as the Recreation
Director for Soda Springs. She shared that she is doing this pageant to better herself and her platform is GOAL Get
Outside And Live. Today she is here asking for support with some of her expenses while competing for Mrs. Idaho.
The Board asked her what she fills her total expenses will be and she thought about $2000. It was suggested to
make a donation of $1000.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to donate $1000 to Jessica Thurman for participating in the Mrs. Idaho
Pageant in Boise and taken from PILT, Miscellaneous Donations. Commissioner McCullough seconded the
motion. Motion passed.

Jill Stoor: Clerk
e Jill asked for an emergency executive session pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206 (b).

¢ Commissioner Somsen made a motion to convene an emergency executive session pursuant to Idaho Code
74-206 (b) at 11:29 a.m. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Commissioner Somsen voted aye;
Commissioner McCullough voted aye; Commissioner Mathews voted aye. The motion passed and the
executive session began.

e Commissioner Somsen suggested ending the executive session at 11:25 a.m.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the hiring of a new dispatch deputy at the Sheriff’s Office.
Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed.

2 a aa Se ace
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Jail Inspection
Kelton Hatch:

e Kelton came in to ask if his road could be plowed. Currently the county plows to the North Hatch Loop. He would
like about a % mile plowed to his house. Commissioner Mathews explained that it is a non-winter maintenance road
and normally the owner pays a fee to get it plowed.

Kelton wanted to know the parameters of why some roads are plowed and some are not. He would like documentation
on this. Commissioner Mathews mentioned that normally there should have been a document signed by him when
he built his home and Kelton said he did not receive this.

The Board offered to plow the road for current rate. Kelton declined.

Justin Hatch, Extension Office:

e Justin shared that they are all moved in at the Event Center and enjoying it.

e He said that this fall they realized they needed to get a DOT inspection on their bus. As they were headed to Grace
to get this done, the bus overheated. He said this led to more problems including having exhaust problems.
He had A-Plus put together some bids and he has talked with Kevin about this wondering if the Road and Bridge
Department could help with this. The bids came in with one including labor and the other without the labor. The one
without the labor is about $3000 and the one with labor is around $3800. These bids were just for the water pump to
be fixed.

e Justin's proposal is to use $1500 out of their Vehicle Maintenance and then some out of their Capital Outlay. He also
talked to Nutrien who gives them a $5000 grant every year for the 4-H kids. They have agreed to pay $1000 of that
grant towards the bus.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the Extension Office up to $4000 for the repair of the 4-H
Bus. Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Doug Wood, Prosecutor:

e Doug reported that Friday as they got in to work, their technology wasn’t working and was not able to access all their
files through their servers. He called TJ and there was no answer so they emailed him and he will look at it tomorrow.
He would like to get a backup system, some type of external hard drive to back up every day to prevent this in the
future. He shared some frustration with this happening.

e He stated some concern about being put on the IAC board as that is keeping him busier and with more meetings
requiring more expenses.

Jill Stoor, Clerk:

e Jill shared the IAC Midwinter Conference is at the end of the month. They start the 26" of January. She is needing
commitments from the Board. This will be at the Boise Centre. All will be attending. Tuesday the 27" is a Breakfast
as well 5" District Elected Officials at 6:30 am.

e She received a letter from P&Z in Grace concerning their prior public hearing. They needed to repost because
something was not done correctly. We didn’t comment before so she is assuming there is not comment this time.
This was information only.

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e The new business in town, Crossroads, was getting ready to open and was going to be serving alcohol. They had
not applied for a liquor license so Jill got ahold of Commissioner Somsen, due to not being able to reach
Commissioner Mathews, for approval. Jill is needing a formal motion to approve the retail alcohol license for them.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the retail alcohol license application submitted by
Crossroads for the year 2026. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e Information only, Jill received notification from the State Insurance Fund, from workers comp that they have closed a
claim for an employee and this will affect our rate and shared that letter with the board.

e Jill shared that a form was filled out by Justin Steele and was stamped with board signatures. This was the Pass
Through Funds Recipient Agreement with the State Department of Juvenile Corrections saying that we agree with
the liquor and lottery funds to help fund our juvenile program. This was information only.

e Jill presented 2 Certificates of Residency applications for approval.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve Certificates of Residency dated 1/12/2026 for students
listed. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e By State Code the precincts for elections need to be approved by the 15‘ of January. She would like a motion to
approve the precincts that have already been established in Caribou County.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the established voting precincts as they have previously
been established. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e She presented the Mutual Aid Agreement and the board has asked Eric to take care of this. This will need to be done
every 5 years. Each Board will look this over and approve it and then at the next 4-County meeting it will be signed.

e Jill asked about IDAWY concerning their bill, it is good to pay the remittance directly to IDAWY now or do every 6
months. The Board will talk to Jayson on how he wants this to be done.

e Jill shared the Historic Preservation Ordinance, 2026-01 that she has be revising and was needing suggestions from
the Board as she expressed some concerns with this. Doug expresses some concerns with this as well. The Board
looked through this along with Doug Wood and made corrections. She will make these corrections, get it to Doug to
review and then send it to the Historic Committee for them to review as well before publishing.

e Jill presented letters of support, two for the Tri-County Snowmobile Board and one for Simplot and asked for
signatures. The board signed the three letters.

e She shared that as of January 1, 2026 the Statewide Background Check Fee will increase. According to the letter
she received the cost for statewide fingerprint-based criminal background checks will rise from $20 to $25. National
checks will increase to $37 for initial concealed weapons license applicants, employment screening, licensure, and
NCPA-covered employees, and to $35 for NCPA volunteers.

These changes apply to all agencies authorized to provide fingerprint-based background checks and will affect any
service they provide, including employment screening, licensing, and concealed weapons permits. The statewide
fee for name-based checks and the fee for concealed weapons license renewals remain unchanged at $20.

Jill wanted to make the Board aware of this. Bear Lake and Franklin County have already increased their fees due
to this letter.

e Jill shared information on the America 250 Campaign. She can apply for a grant from the Secretary of State's Office

for $2500. This can be in addition to a celebration or do something on their own. The grant deadline is the end of
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Commissioner Minutes 01-12-2026
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February and it needs some direction as to what the funds would be used for. She is looking for ideas. There were
suggestions to help with the rotary club bringing in the wall and possibly some swag for the parade. The Board left
Jill in charge of this.

Other:

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the modified agenda as removing the Caribou Medical
Center and adding Dally Smith at 10:15 am. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion
passed.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the minutes of 12/08/2025 as presented, the claims
approval report in the amount of $1,158,475.82 for 01/08/2026 and the payroll claims in the amount of
$1,051,777.22 for 01/06/2026. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously.

e The meeting adjourned at 2:19 p.m. The Caribou County Board of Commissioners will meet again on February 9,
2026 at 9:00 a.m. for regular meeting.

Signed: Mark Mathews, Commissioner Chair Attested: Jill Stoor, Clerk

Commissioner Minutes 01-12-2026

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