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minutes meeting date 2026-10-12 · fetched 2026-11-01 · 15703 characters · read by OCR, check numbers against the source · official file · plain text
APPROVED COMMISSIONER MEETING OF October 12, 2026 The Caribou County Commissioners met in regular session on October 12, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. Those in attendance were: Mark Mathews, Commissioner, Chairman Tom Calton, GIS Bryce Somsen, Commissioner Dillon Liechty, Caribou Medical Center Marty McCullough, Commissioner Kent Loosle, Caribou Medical Center George Hulse, Commissioner Elect Erika Dannelly, Caribou Medical Center Jill Stoor, Clerk Kya Simmons, EMS Doug Wood, Prosecutor Linda Hemmert, EMS Tisha Young, Chief Deputy Clerk Bonnie Speas, SSSD #150 Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge Justin Hatch, Caribou County Extension Adam Mabey, Sheriff Helen Barker, P&Z & Parks CeJay Golightly, Soda Springs Police Chief Aaron Cook, Assessor Paul Gritton, Mayor Rowdy Larkins, Building Inspector The meeting opened with Doug Wood leading the pledge of allegiance and prayer. Kevin McLain, Road & Bridge: Kevin mentioned that the last week of October & first week of November the 8 Mile Bridge project will begin. The bridge will need to be closed from November to the completion of the project. Bear Lake County has been contacted and will cover the snow maintenance on the Nounan Road to be used as a bypass. There will be a preconstruction project meeting on Tuesday at the Fire Station and the board is invited to attend. When they get the specific on closure times, Kevin will prepare the information and have the Clerk’s Office post it on the website and Facebook to notify the public. They have had a culvert delivered by Trouts Unlimited that they will be installing where Chippy Creek crosses Williamsburg. It is a larger culvert that is more fish friendly; Kevin told them that they would install it if it was furnished. They learned that the oil spreader that is being fixed in Boise has problems with computer system. The rock flow and gates not slowing are causing loss of material. It was bought at Geoff's in Pocatello and he would like to schedule appointment to go through it for preventative maintenance that is outside of their scope. Last week crew have installed 3 culverts at Crow Creek and added gravel to the area to hopefully make it better for plowing. They would still like to do hot mix projects if weather holds. They were able to apply hot mix in Chesterfield and the big culvert below Grace by carter lane. On Clements Hill they were able to widen the shoulder and would like hot mix for better surface before plowing. SS TS IRAN NT. eT SEE TSS EE NTE PE SS ERO AE Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 1 Multiple places have work needed on culverts; Johnny's hole is one listed. Kevin would like to get bids for what the portable wet saws cost; he thinks it would make things cleaner and better when installing those culverts. All snow equipment is serviced — waiting on parts for one. They will put wings on later depending on forecasts. Sheriff Mabey / Chief Golightly: The Memorandum of Understanding was presented between the County and the City of Soda Springs. This will leave procedures the same a usual; however, it answers liability questions that needed to be addressed. They stated that this was a real opportunity to multiply forces and work together cooperatively. Chief Golightly stated that the agreement was presented to the city council last Wednesday. Doug has reviewed the proposed MOU. Discussion Clarified financial questions as well as questions about working together across jurisdictional boundaries. Commissioner Somsen made a motion to enter into MOU between Caribou County and the City of Soda Springs. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion and the motion passed. Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve an amendment to the medical services contract between Caribou County and Sawtooth Correctional Medicine. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. All voted aye and the amendment was signed. Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve the VESTA 911 Renewal Proposal for the Vesta 911 System at a cost of $22,470.37 which includes a 1-year renewal with onsite support services. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion and the motion passed. Commissioner Mathews signed the continuation of contract. Commissioner Somsen motioned to approve the purchase of an APX Consolette from Day Wireless Systems for $10,902.10. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion and the motion passed. Discussion was held regarding patrolling in Wayan area and the multiple reports of speeding. Commissioner Somsen expressed appreciation for the response to the early morning fire issue. Rowdy Larkins, Building / Maintenance: Rowdy brought carpet samples for installation in the main courtroom. The current tiles were not warrantied and this is the recommended product. The issue was installation with a pressure sensitive glue that is not adhering as it is supposed to. Colors were discussed and they decided to move forward with the project. Commissioner Somsen motion to approve the bid from Wall 2 Wall for new flooring and installation in the courtroom for up to $14,000.00. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion and Commissioner Mathews signed the bid. Rowdy was able to find a commercial cleaner to come and clean the outside windows at the courthouse. He would like to move forward with the project. The would be able to come this Saturday. Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 2 Comm Somsen motion to approve the bid from Perfect Windows for exterior window cleaning at the courthouse in the amount of $1390.00. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion passed and the motion passed. e Discussion of the parking lot at the Events Center is Grace was discussed again and the need for water mitigation and handicap parking spots to move forward. Aaron Cook, Assessor: Aaron presented questions on unpermitted dwellings using Pebble Creek & Caribou Village recreational subdivisions as examples. His question related directly to landfill fee collections. The current county code states that they need an address to be assessed the fee. He questioned the need for an address and additional questions have come up regarding emergency response. The board discussed the process of assigning addresses to properties in subdivisions, particularly in cases where building permits have not been obtained. The group debated whether charges should be applied for addressing unpermitted structures and considered the potential implications for emergency services. They agreed to look into how other counties handle similar situations and decided to explore the possibility of creating an ordinance to address these issues. Doug stated that we need an ordinance establishing processes since this will change code and affect multiple departments. The board confirmed moving forward with the collection of landfill fees on all residential structures. Dillon Liechty / Kent Loosle, Caribou Medical Center: e Mr. Loosle gave an update on Caribou Medical Center stating that they have had a busy summer with entrance changes meant to improve patient experience providing seating and more privacy at the registration desk... Another improvement is updating their capacity in the pre-op area. They took an office and put bays in for pre-op as well as post-op. Regarding provider update, that are continuing at a steady rate; increasing the frequency not the number of providers. Which will help the facility continue to grow and meet the needs of the community. He shared that Medicare has a prescriptive way to gather satisfaction data and the facility's score is in the top tier. They now have 24 -7 registrars and everyone will enter at the main entrance, even emergencies. After asked about finances, he stated that things are going well and have on cash on hand being more financially stable than they have been. They will continue working on decreasing the variability making every month a good month and keeping the overall in the black. When asked about the new facility in Grace, he stated that the feedback is good and they have attracted new patients without diverting existing ones from the main location. ee Serer ren gma ny nore Te TT ART CET aT Teer ener same en SN EET RENT SI TIPE UL EEE BE TT RI EN Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 3 Bonnie Speas, Soda Springs School District: e Bonnie introduced herself as the Community School Coordinator. She runs a program that helps kids and parents with getting students ready for kindergarten. She requested use of the former 4-H classroom at the County Annex Building where the public health department is located for a Play to Learn program. This program would meet once weekly for 90 minutes starting in November. The program operates with grant funds and they need a dedicated space to meet. She would bring the things necessary to prepare the space for the classes such as rugs, chairs, and toy. The board thought it would be a good idea and stated for her to work with Doug and Jill to establish a formal agreement for space usage. Justin Hatch, Extension Office: e Commissioner Somsen motion to convene an executive session pursuant to I.C. 74-206(b). Commissioners voted aye individually and the session began at 10:34 a.m. Commissioner Somsen suggested ending the session at 10:46 a.m. and regular session resumed. The board approved the hiring of a 4-H Program Manager. e Justin asked that the University Cooperative Extension agreement be signed again. The previous version did not have the budget numbers included. The commissioners signed the agreement again and Jill will check the budget numbers before submitting the final agreement to the University of Idaho. City / County Meeting: Mayor Paul Gritton gave an update on selling the Enders building, they have allowed the Caribou Historical Society to come and go through the museum items. All other personal property as well as the building will go to public auction. He stated that they have fill available and are willing to share with count. It is located west of the pistol range and there is a possibility of more road base available. The Leger Creek trails complete with the exception of a bridge to meet the Army Corp standards. The city now has a building inspector that has passed his residential and commercial tests. He is still working with Rowdy and hopefully able to go on his own soon. Both inspectors would still like to partner for coverage and all agreed to keep that partnership. They will still hold the Festival of Trees at Enders this year. Discussion was held on a meeting to brainstorm for future about solutions to improve entrances into Soda Springs. The board suggested attendance at future ITD meetings would benefit both the county and cities and discussion was held on the current construction project on Highway 30/34 through town. Pore teeter remember eee eeern re gereeenc re ammeagetesee case alaee casas cance tans age ET aS a Nc a I a A nadie) Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 4 Shalayne Bartschi, Senior Center: Shalayne rescheduled for the next meeting. Helen Barker, Parks & Recreation: Helen was contacted by a group working with Trout Unlimited asking if it is at all possible to keep the restrooms open through November at the Blackfoot River while their mitigation project continues. The idea was discussed, however they ultimately decided that without the ability to heat, the facility needs to be winterizing. Doug Wood, Prosecutor: Doug would like to ask approval for the purchase of additional computer storage for their NAS files. Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the purchase from IT Specialists of $5,541. 00 for Synology DS1825+ and WD Red Pro 8TB storage drives. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion and the motion passed. He gave and update from the office which includes 2 upcoming trials. He shared that unfortunately we continue to see multiple intoxicated driving cases; even under medication, marijuana, and other illegal drugs the numbers are increasing. Jill Stoor, Clerk: Jill informed the board that the final closeout report for ARPA funds has been completed. It has been a 5-year project. She stated that the Event Center has not been finalized and that if we cannot get billing done in the next week, the rest of the project be paid out of maintenance budgets. Rowdy stated that he would get billing to her so that it can be completed for the 2026 Fiscal Year. She shared a letter from the Caribou Soil Conservation regarding the data breech and the steps they have implemented to prevent it from occurring again. Jill put a quote on the drive from Proximity. They contacted her for a decision and she informed them that the board has not meet again to discuss it. We have been contacted multiple times by another company and they will be on the agenda for the next meeting to present by Zoom. Discussion was held on pricing and if there is a need for the programs. She gave an update on election preparations with the election nearly 3 weeks away and early voting starting at the courthouse tomorrow. Other: areca emaciemeere cee seeerseee: | “spe amernpersmenr meee saeemnensasc «spec rreeeemerenes ene peng Tesmrrce mene ree eNemIRR NUR OE NIRNENT SORRY ERIE MS II NO SNIPES TENN PY NES OT te SSEWNDE SEPT SERENE TBR SSRN ESI EE TET OY ITT Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 5 e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to accept the agenda for 10/12/2026 with the addition of the Sawtooth Medical Contract to the Sheriff's time slot. Commissioner Mathews seconded the motion. Motion passed. e Commissioner Somsen made a motion to approve the minutes of 09/28/2026 as presented, the claims approval report in the amount of $825,258.35 including remittances dated 10/9/2026 and the payroll claims in the amount of $428,153.73 for 10/9/2026. Commissioner McCullough seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. e The meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m. The Caribou County Board of Commissioners will meet again on October 26, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. for a regular meeting. Signed: Mark Mathews, Commissioner Chair Attested: Jill Stoor, Clerk pl ute ( | usta Commissioner Minutes 10-12-2026 Page 6 Approved Payment of Bills Oct. 2026 10/12/2026 |} ___Claims_ [Payroll [Current expense SSC*d;CCS SAL Cd indigent SSCSC*~‘“~dSCSC*é CBAC Road & Bridge SSSSCSC*dSC*iéS2B.BD.O|C*CSC*d Special Highway dT ST SCC*d fustice SSCSC~‘“~idSCSSATQ]CSd WeedControl SS SSSC*dSC*C*CéOSOSSCC*d [Consolidatedelection S| ~SSa,at6| Ci Reappraisal —SSSSSCSC*dCSCSC*«S9BZO CCS Heath SSSCSC~‘~iSCSC*«tS RSG] HospitalM&OSCdCSCSCSC*d:C‘C#SN(SC Ambulance —SSSSCSC*dC*«‘“ SGA Parks & Recreation —SSSS*| ~~ $6,200.00] Farmerstand&inrigation | S| SCC*d Soidwaste—SSSSSCSC*~‘dCC=Ct SST] ffortfundSSSSCSC~*dC=CS SGC pistrictCoure——SSSCSC~dCSCSC*«sSAT|SCC*d Courtseviees, —SSSC~=‘idSC“‘CSC(*'rL..CC#é#d# fuvenileustice CT CdS SCCC*d Veteran's Memoral SC] SSCSCidYSCSCSCSCSC~*Y [Mineralteasing Cd] SCT SCC*d pur SSCS~*~—CSCSCSCS SCS OCG.OCTCC*d fWaterDistrct SCT ~SSSS800T7] CS PublicSafetyFund SSS 85000141 EL BaileyCreekFire District SS] SSSCidT=SCCSC~*d fFreedomFire District, SST SSCSCdTSCCCC*?' Auditorstust SC] SCC CCCSC~*dY Adult ProbationFee S| TCT SCS Diversion Educationtust S| SSSCSCidSSCSCSC~C~*d fuvenileHousingTrust OT CT Cd [Range Improvement Trust | Court Trust CC nn collegeTust —COCTCdYSCCCSC*d fTreasurerstrust—SC« SSSA fost CCCCTC~dTSC“‘;‘“‘;C*~*rYC‘CS)NCC' [Concealed Weapon'sTrustFund _—s«|_—=«s&A@1.0o| Ci [MotorVehicleTrust_—SS*YS873.853.2q) i oittrustfund «S89 995.06[ PublicsafetyFund TTC [Odyssey Court Payments ——SS«d| = O22 S7| Farmerstand& irrigation | 88. a55.0af Youth CourtTrust | CCT SCS SheriffsVesselFund S| SCT SC Remittances | «| ~Ci828, 153.73 Grand Total $825,258.35 $428,153.73
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