Caribou County | minutes | meeting 2025-10-27 | Minutes
source: https://www.cariboucounty.us/Commissioners/2025 Minutes/CCM 10_27_2025.pdf?t=202511171557140

COMMISSIONER MEETING OF October 27, 2025

The Caribou County Commissioners met in regular session on October 27, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Those in
attendance were:

Mark Mathews, Commissioner Ally Schwults, GIS

Bryce Somsen, Commissioner Aaron Cook, Assessor

Marty McCullough, Commissioner Angie Mendenhall, Treasurer

Jill Stoor, Clerk Mark Stenberg, PacifiCorp

Sharlene Simons, Deputy Clerk Andrew Simonson

Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge Dept. Dow Barker, Barker Ag

J. Adam Mabey, Sheriff ShaLayne Bartschi, C. C. Senior Center
Rowdy Larkins, Building/Maintenance Brandon Hall, Idaho Enterprise

Helen Barker, P&Z Justin Hatch, U of | Extension

The meeting opened with Bryce Somsen leading the pledge of allegiance and prayer.

Kevin McLain, R & B:

Kevin mentioned that Hosek’s asked about the Wide Hollow Road being plowed. They will have an elderly
person living with them and stated that it does get a lot of wind. He wants to make sure it has a legitimate spot to
turnaround. Commissioner Mathews mentioned that they had agreed to plow in the past and asked if they have
paid in the past. Kevin said they didn't go there last year. Kelton Hatch talked to Kevin this morning about
plowing on his road that goes off of the Hatch Loop Road. These are non-winter maintained roads. Bridge
Creek Road was discussed as well. Diking was also discussed. Kevin asked if there could be an adjusted rate
for locals that are needing plowed. It was suggested that they bill them for one way (Hosek’s and Hatch) and
explained that they are not priority roads.

Kevin shared that Mark Luthi in Bonneville County will be retiring and Kevin wants to make sure the Tri-County
agreement on roads stays in place as it would be hard for the county to plow Crow Creek and such without the
agreement.

Kevin talked to Jim Betty about road graders and said that Dwight is ready to make the leap to the M road grader.
The price for a new grader is $345,000. They do have a lease program. Last year they bought a grader with a
governmental guarantee buy back in 5 years they would pay back $245,000. The lease is $32,058. for 5 years.
They have $400,000 now in budget under mineral leasing. There was also discussion of Jayson at IDAWY
wanting to purchase an old grader that is currently in Henry.

Kevin shared that the 2 snow plows from Peterbilt will be operational. They have the 2 chassis that they took the
snow equipment off of and mentioned that there is a governmental website to dispose of them.

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Commissioner Somsen made a motion to allow the 2, 4-wheel drive internationals snow plow chassis to
be added to the Government web site for auction. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion.
Motion passed.

Curtis Thomas had the county go up on Beaver Dam Road to test holes for a gravel pit. They dug about 6 holes
with the back hoe. Kevin mentioned that it did look promising. It was about 1 % miles off the main road.

Over to Hal's they have had a lot of rain. There is mud that sluffed off on to the road way and they will get gravel
from Jenkins to fix it.

He said they were in Pocatello and stopped at Mickelsen’s and looked at their chips. He didn’t think they would
be getting any from Plymouth this year. Both Mickelsen and Patco are selling chips for $18 per ton. As long as
weather is good that should work. He thought they would get 3000 tons from each location.

Commissioner Somsen asked if on the grader if there are limitations. Warranty is 5 years/3000 hours they will
come and fix it. They can adjust the hours to higher if needed.

Commissioner McCullough made a motion to purchase the 2026 Caterpillar 150 all-wheel drive road
grader for $414,417. 57. Commissioner Somsen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Gilbert Farms is wanting to dig across Varley Road down on the gravel section. The permit has been paid and
filled out. This needs signature from the Commissioners and from Kevin.
Jill asked about the snow removal at the Event Center. Kevin shared that they have no skid steer down there.

J Adam Mabey, Sheriff's:

Sheriff gave a report on the communications for his office. The antennae and repeater are in place at Black
Mountain. He talked to Eric Hobson and they are still getting things put together on Woodall and as soon as the
building gets placed, he will have another repeater put out there.

He has had a private organization ask to use the frequency for a private business and Sheriff told them no.
Sheriff shared that they put on a shooter training at the Presbyterian Church that was well attended. He said
there has been some concern since the shooting back east and they are trying to be pro-active about getting
information out on that.

Mr. Jenkins is still a concern and Sheriff said that he is working on this.

Sheriff has been discussing vehicle leases with Unified Fleet. He is trying to see if that would be better than with
Bancorp. He will keep the Board up to date.

Man power is up to speed except for the one dispatch position. One patrol officer will only be there a short time
and he is sending 2 detention officers to post. He is working with contracts with new hires to pay for part of post if
they don’t stay a certain amount of time.

Board of Guardianship should need at least 2 more members and he is asking the Board for help to fill those
positions. Qualifications are: Someone that will be there to help and represent them; get them into the home and

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check up on them. Angie shared names of those who have been on this in the past. She mentioned the support
group is great! There were some suggestions and he will take those names into consideration.

Watering the roads was a concern this summer and some farmers are really good to fix and others not so much.
Commissioner McCullough asked about the written warning. It was then shared how the ordinance is written.
Commissioner Mathews asked Sheriff about a yearly app for $5000 and asked for clarification. Sheriff then
explained what it was for and how it is a way of communicating with the public. Sheriff shared that it was
discussed but it was not approved. Commissioner also mentioned that there are several bills coming in over the
limit and not being approved. Jill then shared that the capital item needs to be approved. There was discussion
on raising the limit on bills that need to be approved.

Commissioner Somsen talked to ITD about getting signage on Hwy 30 and people staying out of the passing
lane unless to pass. Sheriff mentioned that Hwy 30 is not a controlled access road so that is not the law. Jill
mentioned that a sign at IDAWY warning of trucks entering the highway would be nice as well.

Angie asked how long the Driver's License Office is going to be closed on Friday's. He said that it has been
addressed where the new gal is now hired and working in there and an employee had ended up in the hospital as
well.

Mark Stenberg, PacifiCorp:

Mark did a recap sharing that on May 21 they held a public meeting at Alexander/Second Bridge. He shared that
they had about 76 people attend and that 18 of those were in some capacity and 58-60 citizens were there. He
apologized for the delay coming back in to talk to the Board due to medical issues. He felt that winter is a good
time to talk and get things organized. He would like to get a committee to talk of issues such as erosion, safety,
and law enforcement. He asked if a commissioner could be identified to work with PacifiCorp. He also
mentioned that he would like a shore line user, a non-motorized user/kayaker/paddle boarder, a boat user angler
and shore angler, someone to represent water skiing, someone to represent wake boarding, law enforcement,
BLM, and PacifiCorp as well. He asked if a Board member would be interested in being on this committee and
helping to identify other participants to help as well. He then asked if the Board has had any feedback.
Commissioner Mathews shared that there is a lot interested in this. Asking how to repair the erosion. Those in
attendance at the May meeting were willing to help get this fixed.

Aaron asked what is causing this and if there is any scientific proof of this. He thought this would be helpful for
the public to see. Commissioner McCullough asked what is acceptable as well. Commissioner Somsen talked
about boating vs non-boating.

It was decided that Commissioner Marty McCullough would be on this committee. Mark shared that there were
two groups and they did get feed back from both of them.

He will work with Helen and Commissioner McCullough. Andrew Simonson will send a list from the face book

page.

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Rowdy Larkins, Maintenance /Building:

Rowdy presented change order #23 which was adjusting concrete on the south side of the Event Center.

Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve Change Order #23 for the concrete expansion for the
Event Center. A+ Contractors, Chris Funk Construction, and Parsons for the total amount of $16,400.
Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Last week they run into issues with paving on the west side there was a spot that was soft. They are trying to
figure out what to do there and hopefully get it done this week.

On the west side the transition was steep to the road so they needed to cut it back further. He met with the city
and they will fix the remaining part of the road.

He shared bids to paint the cinder block building at $18,160. Shannon gave a bid including higher grade paint
which was higher.

Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the painting of the concrete fair building from
Nicholas Brothers Inc from Logan for a total amount of $18,160. Commissioner McCullough seconded
the motion. Motion passed.

Rowdy is getting ready to submit his plans for his personal build and asked how it should he handled? This is for
his house and Alan will help.

ShaLayne Bartschi, C.C. Senior Center:

ShaLayne shared that the insulation project is completed. There will be a moisture alarm that they will put up
and she would like an access built to the attic.

She is talking to her board about hiring someone to work in the thrift store. They are looking for a cook as well.
She shared the Income/Expense by Category for the last quarter. She shared that the Thrift store brought in
$47,994.22 last year.

Through a building improvement grant they were able to put in 2 mini ac and heat units. She said that they work
great!

Helen Barker, P&Z/Park & Rec:

Helen shared a land swap over at Alexander townsite with Dow Barker's right of way. It was suggested to check
on what was done previously and prepare what needs to be done and present it at another meeting. As long as
it is not conflicting with anything else. Aaron shared that there are 2 conflicting surveys. He said there is a gap
that is not on either survey.

She shared that the Barley Meadows extensions are up on 30 of November. She has not seen a lot of progress
especially on phase 2 being done and she has sent them documentation stating that it is needing completed

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soon. She asked if the Board could go out with her to look this over. She will call Barley Meadows as well. She
will talk to them about another extension if needed. She will also get with Kevin and get a punch list of what
needs done on phase 2 and phase 3.

Concerning the Freedom Park, she received a letter from the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation. They
did an inspection and found non-compliance in weeds being out of control in that area and structures needing
repairs. She shared pictures of the issues. There were signs on the ground, the bleachers need paint; and state
that any improvements need to be ADA compliant. She shared that her budget does not have money to cover
this. She then asked about usage at the park. Curtis Weber maintains this by mowing and watering. Helen was
asked to put this in her discussion for budget next year.

Discussions on the Oregon Train RV park. She proposed a plan on the RV park while noticing several things
that were not included in the original grant. She suggested denying the current grant and resubmitting a new
grant proposal including these items. She thought that this park will benefit out of county people more than the
residents of Caribou County. Helen will talk to Molly Beseris and see if there is a better way to deal with this.

Doug Wood, Prosecutor:

Doug was not able to attend today because he is at a trial today in Bear Lake County.

Jill Stoor, Clerk:

Jill is still accepting applications through Tuesday for the court clerk position.
She presented a corrected Resolution 2025-11 to correct the email address.

Commissioner McCullough made a motion to accept the corrected Resolution 2025-11 designating the
official newspaper for Caribou County and correcting the email address. Commissioner Somsen
seconded the motion. Motion passed.

She presented the Lundahl retention bill and suggested that if the board is happy at the walk through this could
be paid. The expense will come out of FY 2026.
Jill shared Certificates of Residency to be approved for 2 students.

Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the Certificates of Residency for those names
presented. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

She received the contractor's application for payment from HK Contractors for the Blackfoot River Road in the
amount of $2,007,000.

Commissioner McCullough made a motion to approve the application for payment for HK Contractors for
the Blackfoot River Road in the amount of $2,007,000.00. Commissioner Somsen seconded the motion.
Motion passed.

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e Jill shared a lien release for an indigent case for a total amount of $14,429. She asked for a 10% deductible as
this person has been good to pay when possible. The lien release needed a signature.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the lien release for indigent case number 2011-16 with
a 10% discount. Commissioner Somsen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e Justin brought in the Juvenile Justice reports to Jill and asked her to get these signed by the Board. Jill hasn't
had time to confirm the numbers and asked for a signature understanding that she will confirm the numbers
before submitting the report to the state.

e Concerning IDAWY, Jason is requesting money that exceeds what is available in the budget. It was agreed to
pay only what funds we have available in the solid waste fund.

e The board has been invited to a meeting on November 6", Robinson Building in Preston from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is the National Incident Management System Overview for Senior Officials. They are encouraging elected
Officials to attend.

e County Official Institute is on November 19 in Oneida County.

e Election day is Tuesday. Poll worker's training with electronic poll books was last Tuesday.

e New fair board members will be Jake Barfuss, Billie Rasmussen, Daphney Medina, Alexis Jorgensen. Jill will get
these oaths ready for the fair board meeting on November 3rd.

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve Jake Barfuss, Billy Rasmussen, Daphne Medina and
Alexis Jorgensen to be on the fair board. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion
passed.

e Commissioner Somsen asked about the Bridge Creek Road and it was decided that the county will not agree to
plow the road.

Jail Inspection
Event Center Walk Through:

e The board met at the new Event Center in Grace to do a walk through with the contractor. While there,
several items were pointed out that need attention and were shown project that still need to be completed
including a timeline for completion.

e There was a discussion on holding a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on December 4".

e Policies including the sale of liquor, rental rates, cleaning deposits, scheduling and priorities, snow removal,
trash removal, phones, a cleaning closet, use of rooms, hiring of a scheduler and cleaner, etc. It was
decided to meet with the fair board next week to get their input on the building before things are finalized.

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Other:

e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the agenda for 10/27/2025 as presented.
Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed.

e Commissioner McCullough moved to approve the minutes of the October 2, 2025 and October 13, 2025
meetings as presented, the claims including remittances in the amount of $1,936,641.97, for 10/23/25 and
payroll claims in the amount of $226,484.45 for 10/15/2025. Commissioner Somsen seconded the motion.
Motion carried.

e The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m. The Caribou County Board of Commissioners will meet again on November
10, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. for regular meeting.

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

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