4/17/06 Special Commissioners Meeting Minutes:

The Board of Bear Lake County Commissioners met in a special session on Monday, April 17, 2006, beginning at 9:00 A.M. in the Commissioners Room of the Courthouse Annex in Paris, Idaho. Members present were Dwight L. Cochran, Chairman, Conrad E. Michaelson, Vaughn Rasmussen and Kerry Haddock, Clerk of the Board.

Lynn Lewis, Assessor, Lyman Kunz, Bill Stock, Richard Armatage, Mitch Poulsen and Roy Bunderson also attended the meeting.

BUILDING PERMIT ADMINISTRATOR
Lynn Lewis, County Assessor, met with the Commissioners to discuss his proposal to replace the Building Permit Administrator with a full-time employee who would also assist his office with addressing and mapping. The employee would be funded by increasing fees for the various services he would perform. Following a brief discussion, Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to hire someone on the same basis as the previous administrator for the balance of this fiscal year and evaluate adding a full-time position for next fiscal year during the budget process. There was a discussion regarding addressing. Assessor Lewis stated that Bear Lake West was doing a good job of posting addresses. There was also some general discussion concerning building permits. It was decided that the permit administrator would report to the Assessor with a dotted line to Planning and Zoning. The County will advertise for the position as soon as possible.

COMMUNICATION
There was a discussion regarding improving communication between the County Planning and Zoning and Cities Planning and Zoning departments. It was suggested to assign ad hoc members from the Cities to the County Planning and Zoning Board.

WELL WATER TESTING
The possibility of doing our own well water testing at the Landfill was discussed. Franklin County was collecting their own samples. Commissioner Michaelson was meeting with Tom Mullican from DEQ and representatives from nearby Counties on Thursday.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to discuss Medical Indigency Cases and a legal matter. Motion was unanimous.

Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to adjourn the executive session and reconvene the regular meeting.

MEDICAL INDIGENCY CLAIMS
Commissioners unanimously agreed to deny the following medical assistance claims:
Case No. 2006-10 - Denied - Applicant not indigent; Not the last resource.
Case No. 2006-12 - Denied - Applicant is not indigent; Not the last resource.

BUILDING PERMITS
Mike Derricott met with the Commissioners and suggested that a statement that the County would not maintain private roads be added to the building permit. The Commissioners unanimously agreed.

Meeting adjourned subject to recall by the Chairman or his order.

_____________________________________________
DWIGHT L. COCHRAN
Chairman of the Board

ATTEST:___________________________________

KERRY HADDOCK, Clerk

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4/10/06 Commisioners Meeting Minutes:

The Board of Bear Lake County Commissioners met in regular session on Monday, April 10, 2006, beginning at 9:00 A.M. in the Commissioners Room of the Courthouse Annex in Paris, Idaho. Members present were: Dwight L. Cochran, Chairman, Conrad E. Michaelson, Vaughn Rasmussen and Kerry Haddock, Clerk of the Board.

Brent Bunn, Sheriff, Lynn Lewis, Assessor, Greg Skinner, Road and Bridge Supervisor, Rosa Moosman, Editor of the News-Examiner, Bill Stock and Paul Underwood also attended the meeting.

BUILDING PERMIT ADMINISTRATOR
Lynn Lewis, Assessor, approached the Commissioners regarding hiring a full-time employee to replace the building permit administrator and assume several other duties for the County. The employee would also help with rural addressing, processing deeds and mapping. Funding to pay for the position could be raised by increasing fees for the work that would be done. There was discussion about other duties the person could assume such as approaches to County roads and proper drainage for roads. It was decided that more time was needed to discuss the proposal than had been set aside in this meeting and a special meeting would be held on April 17th to do this. Mr. Lewis agreed to process permits on an interim basis.

Richard Armatage, Reed Peterson, Bart Rigby, Allen Lloyd, Roy Bunderson and Verna Jensen joined the meeting.

ELECTED OFFICIALS MEETING
Sheriff Bunn presented his monthly report to the Commissioners. He reported that the Mobile Command Center is ordered and in production. The cost of $148,000 will be funded by a Homeland Security Grant. There was discussion concerning enforcement of the Kennel permit. Permit applications will be sent to all people having known kennels. The Sheriff also voiced his agreement with the Assessor's addressing plan stating that emergency services need a good rural addressing system.

SENIOR CITIZENS
Allen Lloyd thanked the Commissioners for the current support for the Senior Citizens. He stated that the cost of running the Senior programs are constantly rising and that State and Federal funding were decreasing. He stated that the average age in Bear Lake County was 65. He asked for an increase in funding to $12,000, double the current year funding of $6,000. He stated that the building would be paid for in August and invited the Commissioners to lunch on Friday. Commissioners agreed to consider the funding request during the upcoming budget process.

Mitch Poulsen and Judy George joined the meeting.

LAND USE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT
Mitch Poulsen presented an amended Chapter 11 of the Land Use Ordinance. The changes had been advertised and a public meeting had been held. The changes were mostly for clarification and readability. Roy Bunderson questioned the use of the word "code" in several places since Bear Lake has no Building Code. After discussion, Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to adopt the amendments with the substitution of the word "ordinance" in place of "code". Motion was unanimous.

PLANNING AND ZONING APPOINTMENTS
Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to reappoint Judy George to the Planning and Zoining Board for another 3-year term. Motion was unanimous.

OPEN RANGE DESIGNATION
Roy Bunderson and Wayne Transtrum met with the Commissioners suggesting that the Commissioners place "Open Range" signs at entrances into the County. This might reduce liability to the County in the case of vehicles hitting animals. The Commissioners wanted to consult with the County Attorney before making any decisions on the matter.

OREGON TRAIL CENTER UPDATE
Sherry Brown reported on the activities of the Oregon Trail Center. She stated that construction on the upper floor would be complete in early May. Approximately 2,000 students were scheduled to tour the Center this spring and there were more tour buses scheduled for the summer than last year. The Board was looking at adding new members and restructuring the existing debt. The gift shop is open and the Theater had many events scheduled. The Commissioners complemented the enthusiasm and work of the Board. They still had concerns with the financial situation of the Center.

AIRPORT
Olean Parker approached the Commissioners regarding the County Airport. He expressed concern that the Airport had no representation at a recent air festival in Boise and presented some information from the festival. He would also like to revive the annual fly-in that the airport used to hold. The Commissioners expressed their support for the Airport and stated that the Airport Board was reorganizing.

MONTPELIER CITY
Mayor Reed Peterson and Councilman Bart Rigby approached the Commissioners regarding several issues. The City's annexation for a new subdivision will extend to the old Junk Yard road. This road will be the main access to the subdivision. The City would like to take over this road from the County. The Commissioners agreed to let the City take over maintenance of the road. Mayor Peterson stated that the City was working with County Planning and Zoning regarding the Industrial Park and possible further annexations and complimented the Planning and Zoning leadership. The City expressed concern with their liability in operating the current jail. The City will continue to operate the jail for a while but would like an agreement holding them harmless from liability. The Commission will discuss this with their insurance provider and the County Attorney.

PROPERTY LEASE
The Commissioners discussed a lease of property near the airport. The leasee agreed to pay for a CRP extension if the County would extend the Lease to match the CRP period. Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to extend the Lease for 2 years. Motion was unanimous.

MINUTES APPROVED
Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to approve the minutes of the March 10, 2006, regular meeting. The motion was unanimous.

BILLS APPROVED

REPORT GRAND TOTAL . . . . . 449,215.13

BOARDS AND ORGANIZATIONS
Commissioner Michaelson presented a list of all the Boards and organizations that the Commissioners have responsibility for. This includes several multi-county organizations. He made the point that it was difficult to keep track of the number of entities involved. He suggested that there needed to be regular reports from these organizations.

PROBATION DEPARTMENT
Ron Harper asked the Commissioners for permission to purchase a vehicle from the City of Montpelier. The vehicle he had been driving was not dependable enough to take out of town. Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to buy the vehicle. Motion was unanimous. He also stated that he was looking for a new laptop computer.

ROAD AND BRIDGE / SOLID WASTE
Greg Skinner presented his monthly report. He stated that he would like to purchase or lease a compactor for the Landfill. He also talked about equipment needs in general. The Commissioners discussed a complaint from a Bear Lake West Homeowner regarding a road, which was not being plowed. This led to a general discussion of the roads in Bear Lake West. Richard Armatage stated that the roads were in bad condition and residents didn't feel they were getting their monies worth for the taxes they pay. It was pointed out that the lack of a good drainage plan made maintenance of the roads difficult. Commissioner Michaelson agreed that the County and the Bear Lake West Homeowners needed to get together and devise a plan for drainage and roads. Mr. Skinner also presented a certification received by Solid Waste employee Terry Brook after a week long school.

COUNTY ROADS
Commissioner Michaelson presented a map that we had turned into the Governor designating County roads. The County needs to review roads on Public Land and do minimal maintenance to keep them eligible for RS2477 designation.

RURAL ADVOCATE FUNDING
Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to fund the Rural Advocate for April and May. Motion was unanimous.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to convene in executive session to discuss indigency matters. Motion was unanimous.

Commissioner Rasmussen made a motion seconded by Commissioner Michaelson to adjourn the executive session and to reconvene the regular meeting. Motion was unanimous.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE CLAIMS
#2006-06 & 07 - Denied - Not Indigent; Not the last resource; Failed to cooperate with the County; Application is incomplete; Not a resident.

#2005-40 - Approved - (As per negotiated agreement with Provider) - Resident, Obligated County, Medically Indigent, Medically Necessary, Last Resource.

SOLID WASTE WELL SAMPLING
Commissioner Michaelson suggested that the County could save money by taking their own well water samples at the landfill. Franklin County was doing this at their landfill. The Commissioners agreed to try this.

BOAT SAFETY GRANT
Kirk Rich from the State Parks Department approached the Commissioners to sign a $17,000 grant from the Coast Guard for boat safety. The County would have to pay matching funds of $1,000 from the waterways fund. The Commissioners agreed to sign the grant.

EXTENSION OFFICE
Joel Packham and Max Bunderson approached the Commissioners regarding the possibility of moving the Extension Office to the Allred Center. The County currently pays $750 per month plus utilities to rent a building for the office. The Allred Center would be a better location. The Extension Office would pay utilities, which would decrease the Fair Board expenses. Mr. Packham will look into remodeling costs and the structural soundness of the building.

ANIMAL CONTROL BOARD
Commissioner Michaelson made a motion seconded by Commissioner Rasmussen to reappoint Dennis Hunzeker as a director from Bear Lake County to the District #4 Animal Damage Control Board. Motion was unanimous.

Meeting adjourned subject to recall by the Chairman or his order.

________________________________________
DWIGHT L. COCHRAN
Chairman of the Board

ATTEST:___________________________________
KERRY HADDOCK
Clerk

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4/10/06 Commissioners Meeting Notice:

9:00 A.M. LYNN LEWIS - Land Use Application Permits

9:15 A.M. ELECTED OFFICIALS MEETING

9:30 A.M. GRIFFITH ALLEN LLOYD - Senior Citizens Center - Funding Request for next years Budget

9:45 A.M. PLANNING & ZONING CHANGE

10:00 A.M. ROY BUNDERSON - Open Range

10:15 A.M. SHERRY BROWN - Oregon Trail Center Update

10:30 A.M. OLEAN PARKER - Airport

10:45 A.M. REED PETERSON - City of Montpelier - Old Junk Yard Road Maintenance/Accountability of new Subdivision

11:00 A.M. REED PETERSON - Jail Review

11:15 A.M. REAL ESTATE LEASE EXTENSION

11:30 A.M. RON HARPER

11:45 A.M. GARY TEUSCHER - Annual Audit

LUNCH

1:30 P.M. JOEL PACKHAM - Moving Office to Different Location

OLD BUSINESS
Road & Bridge/Solid Waste Issues

Medically Indigent Claims - Executive Session

County Roads

Dog Kennel Permit

Rural Advocate Funding

NEW BUSINESS
Road & Bridge/Solid Waste Issues

Approve March's bills/Minutes

Medical Indigent Claims - Executive Session

Commissioners Responsibilities with other organizations

Resignation Letter from Building Administrator

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