Fremont County | minutes | meeting 2025-10-27 | BOCC Oct 27 2025 Regular Meeting source: https://fremont.municipalcodeonline.com/book/content?type=minutes&name=BOCC_Oct_27_2025_Regular_Meeting BOCC Oct 27 2025 Regular Meeting FREMONT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING MINUTES October 27, 2025 Present for the meeting were Commissioners Blair Dance, Rick Hill, and Mark Chandler Also attended by: Clerk Abbie Mace, Deputy Clerk Kim Fletcher, and Civil Attorney Blake Hall via Zoom Commissioner Dance called the meeting to order and welcomed those in attendance. Sheriff Bart Quayle RE: Commissioners Consent to Award Badge and Duty Weapon to Retiring Officer – action item Mr. Quayle requested permission to present Tad Parke his badge and duty weapon when he retires this month. His retirement party will be held on October 27th from 12pm to 1pm at the Annex Building. Commissioner Dance made a motion to award Tad Parke his badge and duty weapon upon his retirement. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioners RE: Quarterly Jail Inspection Commissioners performed the quarterly jail inspection. Gregg Bowman ITD RE: Highway Updates Mr. Bowman updated the Commissioners about projects ITD is working on in Fremont County. -The Ashton to 87 project is still being completed. The new presidential administration has shaken some things up so timelines have changed, and workers have gone from 23 to 3. We hope to have the level 3 screening by the end of the year, and the PEL document to move on to the NEPA process but at this point they don’t know what that process is. -The Elk Creek project is in progress; they are waiting for the poles, but the infrastructure is in place and they hope to have the project finished by Memorial Day next year. -The Chester to Ashton project is up in the air because of the new presidential administration, but they plan to hold a public hearing early next year, then try to finish the environmental document and try to move forward. They are working on property acquisition along the US 20 for right of way purposes. -The South St. Anthony Interchange is finished, but they have a few things to finish. They will be seeding the grass areas, and they have closed 300 North and are modifying 200 North for safety. They are aware of concerns from the county about 200N and the ease of county safety vehicles being able to get around. Rowdy Rigby stated there are some concerns, especially on 300 North, because on the ends of those closed roads, he has no way to turn his snow plow or other equipment around. There are private driveways on those roads, he isn’t sure about the school system and whether or not the busses would need the turnaround. The communication has not been clear between the county and the state about these closures. Mr. Bowman stated they would have needed to purchase right of way in order to make those turnarounds. They admitted they jumped on an opportunity, because they had the contract in place with their contractor and didn’t take into consideration the needs of the county, but instead only focused on the safety needs of closing the road. They are willing to have a discussion with Rowdy and Brandon as well as their contractor to discuss our needs from a county point of view now that our road study is completed while there is time to do them. Clerk Mace asked if they have an idea when the Chester to Ashton project will happen. It is scheduled for 2031, but at this point, the funding for the project is movable, so they don’t really know. They have Legislators trying to help, but everything is in flux. Commissioner Dance stated the restriping at the bottom of the Ashton hill that was done last year was needed and has made a big difference. Mr. Bowman stated they will be scrub sealing several of the highways in the county over the next few years as long as the funds allow them to do it. He has also had a discussion with Island Park Mayor Ard about adjusting the speed limit signs in Island Park for safety reasons. They are looking at them, just to decide if the 45mph areas need to be extended because the population has grown, as well as the number of people who recreate there. Rob Thornberry / Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership RE: Discussion about Public Lands Management Concerns and Issues in Fremont County – action item Mr. Thornberry thanked the Commissioners for meeting with him today. He is the Idaho representative of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which is a hunting and fishing non-profit that works in federal land planning to make sure fish and wildlife have good habitat, and that hunters and anglers have access to those lands. He’s been with them for 10 years, and in Fremont County he has been working with the Sand Creek Collaborative, IDL, BLM, The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, as well as county officials to help do habitat projects on the desert, which included widening firebreaks and killing old sage brush. He is also working with the Targhee Forest Collaborative, the Forest Service, and the National Forest Foundation, and they have created a collaborative that meets quarterly, and the Commissioners are welcome to attend those meetings any time. A concern they have right now is that all of the federal land planning has dried up because the new administration implements their priorities. He has come today to listen to the Commissioners concerns. This summer, in an effort to reconcile the budget, there was a proposal to sell federal public lands; it ended in committee. He joined a committee to address the public land issues, and would like to know what the hunting and fishing community could do to help counties with the challenges they get from recreation and public land management. From other counties, he has heard everything from issues with the unpredictability of SRS payments and PILT payments, road maintenance costs, search and rescue costs, law enforcement costs. Ever since Covid, the enjoyment of public lands has escalated. He would like to know what our issues are and take that information back to see if there is a way for their group to address those issues. Commissioner Dance feels this issue goes deeper. We keep finding new ways to recreate, which all add strain to county resources, and not just in our county. EMS is a big deal to try to save all of the lives that need saving; law enforcement to try to keep people in line; facilities to accommodate everyone. Through our Parks and Rec, we are looking at a pay to play system. Mr. Thornberry stated he has been a resident of southeast Idaho for 35 years and has watched the Henry’s Fork and other areas change. He’s worked with our past Parks and Rec Director Tamra Cikatoga, and our county has done an excellent job keeping up, especially with angling. It is controversial, fish and game benefits from our seasonal closures every year. He asked about state costs and budgeting, and has heard that PILT is to unpredictable to budget against. Clerk Mace stated we wait until PILT is in our hands and then it is used in next year’s budget. He asked if it would be better if it was a regular schedule. Clerk Mace stated our PILT money is put in the budget when we have it in our hands. The SRS money, we open the budget when we receive it and then we use it. This year we didn’t receive any SRS money. She isn’t asking for any of the formulas to change, she is only asking for it to be funded because the unpredictability is too hard to work with. Our Legislators understand how important those funds are, but others don’t. We’re always trying to do more with less. Commissioner Dance stated he can appreciate Mr. Thornberry’s efforts because we were a public lands county, and a playground for the non-public lands counties who don’t want to give us funding to maintain our public lands. But it is a burden for us to support them with our Search and Rescue, EMS, Emergency Management, Law Enforcement, facilities, road maintenance, and everything else that needs funding, and it doesn’t just apply to our county. Mr. Thornberry stated this is what he feels is a legitimate effort for us to publicly identify these issues, and then throw the community’s weight into trying to help solve them. Commissioner Hill stated some of the frustration we have with our public lands is with our Federal partners. Most of the time they don’t inform us what they are doing with their lands within the county. If we could get them to have a conversation with us, so we can at least know what their plans are, that would be beneficial, so we can work out a plan for them to help fund the EMS, Sheriff, the added infrastructure costs, etc. We’ve had issues with communication about the State public lands in the past about their glamping sites, but those have improved in the last year and we’ve made some headway with Dustin Miller, and they’ve informed us what they are doing in Island Park and who will be policing it. Senator Burtenshaw pushed that communication for us. Commissioner Chandler stated that as much as he hates regulation and taxes, we are trying to implement a better strategy to deal with the invasive species in the waterways, and we need the state to do better with their communication to help us monitor those. We also need the floating community to help with this issue. He thanked the commissioners for their time, and stated he is available for any questions they may have in the future and can come back for more discussion if they would like him to. Charles Foster RE: Dog Shelter in Fremont County – action item Mr. Foster discussed establishing an animal shelter in Fremont County. They have approached the commissioners before about a countywide shelter. They run a small shelter in the community, they’ve run it for 4 years but they don’t have room. Ms. Foster stated they receive calls frequently from people who need a place to take dogs they have found. They feel the county should be responsible for these animals. State code states it’s the responsibility of the county or the city to have a shelter. Their animals are being sent to other counties or states because they don’t have room, and people have to lie about where the animals were found in order for those shelters to take them. They also receive calls from other shelters who don’t have room. If they can build their own 2000 square foot building, why can’t the county build a facility? This isn’t a frivolous request, it is needed. Mr. Damon stated another angle to the issue is if animals go missing, how is it reported? A neighbor found 2 dogs they can’t take care of. Their only recourse is to take them to Rexburg or Idaho Falls and lie about where the dogs were found and hope the owners are able to find them there. Ms. Damon stated there are people that want to help and would be willing to work in a shelter for the county. They do care and would volunteer. She can see Ms. Foster needs the help. She also feels its not ethical to keep taking our animals to other counties’ animal shelters. She understands the county has so many projects, but she hopes there can be more awareness made about this issue. Mr. Foster stated Governor Little gave a wonderful speech about no-kill shelters. It doesn’t really apply to our county because we don’t have a shelter at all. He still has the blueprints for their shelter that he would be happy to provide to the county in order to build a facility, and would be happy to help build it. Commissioner Chandler admires the passion the Fosters have. He feels 80% of people aren’t suited to have a dog. The Fosters and Damons agree, but what happens to these animals when they are not taken care of appropriately, are “rescued”, and then have nowhere else to go? Commissioner Dance agreed, and appreciates their presentation. We are being held hostage by irresponsible pet owners. He has taken many notes today so the commissioners can discuss their thoughts about this issue, and will try to get back to them soon. Planning and Building Administrator Tom Cluff RE: Department Report Mr. Cluff reported the numbers for building permits for July, August, and September, as well as the year to date. The year to date numbers are almost exactly the same last year as they are this year. They have posted a job opening on the website for a front counter person and have received a few applications. They will post another job opening for a planner next Monday, but that position won’t start until the new annex opens. He is looking into some new software to help with permitting information as well as filtering and answering frequently asked questions to try to save time for his employees. He is waiting on some information to decide which vendor they would like to go through. Clerk Mace asked where he is with the fee increases. Mr. Cluff stated they are still the same, but he is working on it. Records requests, appeals, and discoveries have been keeping them busy, but he will get it done. Commissioners RE: Executive Session IC 74-206(1)(f) – action item Commissioner Dance made a motion to go into executive session pursuant to IC 74-206(1)(f) To communicate with legal counsel for the public agency to discuss the legal ramifications of and legal options for pending litigation, or controversies not yet being litigated but imminently likely to be litigated. The mere presence of legal counsel at an executive session does not satisfy this requirement; at 1:01 p.m. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken with Commissioner Dance voting “Aye”, Commissioner Hill voting “Aye”, and Commissioner Chandler voting “Aye”. Commissioner Dance declared the meeting open at 1:17 p.m. Commissioners RE: Deliberation and Decision on Amending Appendix O – action item Commissioners discussed the public hearing that was held on September 29th, 2025 to amend the Fremont County Development Code: Repealing Appendix O – Cellular & Wireless Facility Standards and Adopting a New Appendix O – Cellular & Wireless Facility Standards. Commissioner Hill felt at our hearing the presentation P&Z made was well done and they had made some good changes from the original document they had. The representative of the cell phone companies was very complimentary of the work the County has made even though he felt some changes may need to be amended in the future, but he felt like the changes that have been made are acceptable and that our staff has done a good job. He feels he is ready to approve and adopt the ordinance as it has been presented. Commissioner Chandler felt both parties, our P&Z staff as well as the cell phone company representative, were in agreement about the changes that have been made. He agreed the ordinance could be adopted as presented. Commissioner Dance felt this Ordinance is a significant improvement to what we had before, and has modernized things that needed to be updated. As a whole, although there may have been some minor points that could be re-addressed in the future, everyone was in support of this amendment of Appendix O. He asked if our Planning and Building Administrator Tom Cluff had any comments. Mr. Cluff said no. They are ready for a decision to be made so they can move on to the next phase. Commissioner Hill made a motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-01 Amending the Fremont County Development Code for Fremont County, Idaho as Follows: Repealing Appendix O – Cellular & Wireless Facility Standards; Adopting a New Appendix O – Wireless Facility Standards, effective October 27, 2025. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. City Councilman Rod Willmore RE: Gravel for the Airport – action item Mr. Willmore stated that since they put the new runway in at the airport, the asphalt along the edges has settled. They have discussed bringing in gravel to raise it back up to try to keep it nice, but the city crew isn’t as experienced as the county crew. They do have gravel available, they just need the equipment and some help to do the work. Rowdy Rigby stated he could carve out a couple of days next week to do the work, and we have a few pieces of equipment that could take care of it easily. It shouldn’t take long to finish it. Commissioner Hill made a motion to approve our Road and Bridge department to put down some gravel and provide the man power to help the city with the landing strip at the airport. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Chief Deputy Sheriff Cody Gudmunson RE: Cad System Contract – action item Mr. Gudmunson presented a contract for the new CAD system for the Sheriff’s Office. Blake Hall has reviewed the contract; there have been a few modifications that all parties have been agreed on, and Chad Quayle has been listed as the project manager. Commissioner Chandler made a motion to approve the contract with Sun Ridge Systems Inc for the CAD system for the Sheriff’s Department in the amount of $365,321, with the funds coming from ARPA. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. EMS Director Bert Mecham RE: Helicopter Pad Project – action item Mr. Mecham discussed a helicopter pad project EMS is working on. He was approached by Wes Owens, an Ashton city officer, about the safety of using the stake center parking lot in Ashton to land the EMS helicopter. They discussed developing an area by their sewer lagoons instead to develop a landing pad because it would be safer. They had material out there we were able to utilize for the landing pad. Flight had some concerns because of a powerline that runs on the roadside to the lagoon but it may be ok as long as it is a certain distance away. There may be some costs in the future to make it a safer spot, but at this point, everyone involved and interested in the project has donated their time to make it workable. The power company will be coming out to put reflectors on the powerlines to make them safer, and the road is already established. He feels a windsock with a solar light on the windsock will be adequate for lighting, and will prevent other people from landing on the pad because it will keep it from being FAA approved for other helicopters. Commissioners have no issue with this move and agree it is a good idea to have the helicopter land farther away from homes in the area. Commissioner Dance made a motion to approve the proposal for the change of helicopter landing locations in conjunction with the City of Ashton to be moved to the Sewer Lagoons. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioners RE: Interview for County Clerk – action item Commissioners interviewed Meredith Mattingly to serve as our new County Clerk starting in December upon our current Clerk, Abbie Mace’s retirement. Ms. Mattingly was the sole applicant for this position, so she didn’t have to interview with the Republican Central Committee and her name was the only one submitted to the Commissioners. Commissioner Dance is impressed with her previous job experience and the responsibilities she has held. He feels this past experience qualifies her for the Clerk job considering the dollars she was responsible for balancing, and the fact that it was a regional office and not just a local office. Commissioner Hill and Commissioner Chandler expressed their appreciation for her applying for the position and taking on the responsibility. There was a discussion about her past job experience and education, and how she feels about stepping into this position. Commissioner Dance asked if they accept her application, if she has in mind anyone to take her current position. She and Clerk Mace will advertise for a new Accounts Payable Clerk in December to fill her position. Blake Hall stated he and Clerk Mace talk many times a week. Ms. Mattingly is free to have all of his information so any help she needs, she can contact him. Commissioner Dance made a motion to appoint Meredith Mattingly as our new Fremont County Clerk to be effective December 16, 2025 upon the retirement of our beloved current Clerk Abbie Mace. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Treasurer Lori Beard RE: Executive Session IC 74-206(1)(b) – action item Commissioner Dance made a motion to go into executive session pursuant to IC 74-206(1)(b) To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent, or public school student; at 3:57 p.m. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A roll call vote was taken with Commissioner Dance voting “Aye”, Commissioner Hill voting “Aye”, and Commissioner Chandler voting “Aye”. Commissioner Dance declared the meeting open at 3:06 p.m. Commissioner Chandler made a motion to declare that E2026-02 and E2026-03 are eligible for donated time. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Parks and Rec Director Greg Grant RE: Golf Course Cement Work – action item Mr. Grant discussed some cement work that he would like to have done out at the golf course. He presented a quote from Rumsey Construction to pour cement at the golf course. There was grass in this spot before, but it doesn’t look nice anymore and is just muddy and messy now. It would connect to the sidewalk at the front of the club house. The quote is for $6500. Commissioner Hill made a motion to approve Rumsey Construction to do the concrete work at the golf course in the amount of $6500.00 to come from the ARPA monies. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Mr. Grant stated we are good to operate our snowmobile things in Island Park but with the federal government frozen for now, we won’t be able to do very much until they are back in session. Miscellaneous Commissioner Chandler made a motion to approve the claims for October 27, 2025 as presented. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioner Hill made a motion to approve the minutes from October 14, 2025 as amended. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioner Hill made a motion to approve the Junior College Application for the College of Eastern Idaho Fall 2025-Spring 2026 academic year for Grace Hammond. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioner Hill made a motion to approve the 2025-2026 Retail Alcoholic Beverage License for: #44 Jared’s Wild Rose Ranch Resort Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Clerk Mace discussed a Service Agreement for TitleOne. They would like to open a branch in Fremont county, but they would need copies of all of our titles and documents for the county. Commissioner Chandler made a motion to accept the contract from TitleOne for Fremont County and authorize the Chairman to sign it in behalf of the county. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Clerk Mace presented a temporary use agreement to be able to use the churches for our November 4, 2025 election. We currently use 5 different church buildings for voting, but the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has come out with new directive that states we will not be able to use their buildings going forward. They have issued a temporary use agreement for us to be able to use the Egin Church, the Stake Center, the Wilford Church, the Teton Church, and Newdale Church for this election, and we are working on other arrangements for our elections moving forward. Commissioner Hill made a motion to accept the temporary use agreement for use of the 5 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints churches for the November 4, 2025 election. Commissioner Chandler seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioners discussed Pay App #10 for the Last Chance WWTP. Commissioner Dance made a motion to approve Pay App #10 to GSE Construction Company for the Last Chance WWTP in the amount of $661,591, to be paid from the DEQ ARPA Funds, and to also approve Commissioner Dance signing the reimbursement when we receive it. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. Commissioner Dance made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 3:30 p.m. Commissioner Hill seconded the motion. A full voice vote was heard with all commissioners voting in favor. There being no further business to come before the board the meeting was adjourned. _________________________________ Blair Dance, Chairman Fremont County Commissioner Attest: _____________________________ Abbie Mace, Clerk HISTORY Recorded by Min. 610550 Regular Commissioner Meeting 10-27-2025 on 11/10/2025