No Replacement for PA Boyd Yet
On Monday, October 28th, the Adams County Commissioners met for their final public meeting of the month. Building inspector, Kody Williams, said that he looked at the Legion Hall building and agreed that the vinyl flooring was in need of replacement and was peeling up and hazardous. He said the wood floor could stand to be refinished, but there were other more pressing issues with the building, including a large hole in the attic, that he thought funds should go towards first. He had not gone into the crawlspace or had a mold test completed yet. They also briefly discussed the progress on the ordinance change. They spoke about mold in buildings that were relocated to the county and about rewording the part about design so that it did not read as artistic design but rather structural, as in the case of snow loads. Williams again stated he was not in a rush and wanted to take the time to get it right.
Meredith Fisher, with Planning and Zoning, said at the meeting on the 21st they had two variance applications. One was recommended for denial because Building Inspector Williams did a site inspection and wrote a letter saying there was another good building spot on the property that wasn’t close to the right of way. There were also some concerns from the neighbors. The second was for a property out Fruitvale/Glendale where they wanted to put a quonset hut within ten feet of the property line. It was a movable building and next to an empty field where “no one’s going to care but the cows,” said Fisher. They were recommended for approval. Fisher also wanted to ask the commissioners about the bond for the sediment retention pond at Tamarack View Estates. They were wondering if they still needed to apply for a variance. The commissioners had already looked at the property with Adam Balderson, from Road and Bridge, and decided a pond was not a good idea there and might make things worse. They decided to release the bond for the requirement and said the applicant did not need to do a variance.
After this, the commissioners talked about a complaint they had about the fire mitigation work. One resident was irked that a large neighboring property was turned around and sold immediately after the mitigation work, which had made it look like a park and likely increased the property value. She was also concerned about the lack of vegetation causing runoff problems on her property. Commissioner Purdy wasn’t sure how they could regulate the properties being sold. Commissioner Iveson said they couldn’t really, and it needed to be mitigated either way. The commissioners decided to speak to Carol Walsh and have her get back to the property owner first regarding the runoff potential.
A resident walked in with a proposal that he wanted to get on the agenda for the next meeting about ensuring that there are paper ballots for codification during elections. County Clerk, Sherry Ward, was skeptical, but the commissioners thought it was an important conversation to have. They put him on the agenda for November 12th at 11:00 to come back. Later in the day the commissioners discussed the proposal again. Clerk Ward was mainly concerned how limiting the use of machines would be possible with growth in the future. Commissioners Joe Iveson and Daren Ward thought that a good compromise might be a machine that read paper ballots so there was still a paper trail that could be verified for everything. Commissioner Purdy was more skeptical and thought that any machine that was connected to the internet had the potential to be corrupted. Clerk Sherry Ward said the audits that they have performed in Idaho have been extremely accurate and she thought they should slow down and not layer on more legislation and rules right away. “I like to walk away from my election knowing that every vote got counted,” said Clerk Ward. She also said their machines are not on the internet at all. It seemed there was some confusion about linguistics, because once she understood what the commissioners were proposing Clerk Ward agreed that an electronic voting machine was different from an electronic counting machine and she completely agreed they should not go to a purely electronic voting machine.
Steve Shelton, with Solid Waste, said the pond liner is in and it looks good. Unfortunately, the compactor motor has gone out. It is a lease, however, they can’t come up with an oil change registered anywhere for July of 2021. CAT has no record of it. They have a record that they sent the filters, but not that anyone changed it, and if they can’t find a record it might void the warranty. Shelton has people looking for a record, but it was before he was in charge and he doesn’t know what happened. It is hydrolocked so there is either a cracked cylinder or the head gasket has gone.
Adam Balderson, with Road and Bridge, said that the Council grader is fixed and he found a welder for the culvert. They have two more positions open in Road and Bridge, one in New Meadows and one in Council. Commissioner Daren Ward said he heard a rumor over the weekend that Balderson was leaving, Balderson said no, it was just a rumor. The commissioners were very relieved.
There was another theft at the recycle center, it was caught on camera and the sheriff has already cited them.
Next, Mr Gunther, with the Boy Scouts, called in to ask about hosting an event in Adams County. The Boy Scouts do an annual event called the Klondike Derby, where the scouts construct a derby car with skis on it and conduct races, as well as do winter survival activities. Usually they host it in Cascade, but that facility is not available this year. Mr Gunther was interested in using the Adams County Fairgrounds for the event this year instead. The commissioners thought that would be a good place for the event and were excited at the idea of having it come to Council. Commissioner Daren Ward said he would continue talking with the Boy Scouts to arrange things.
The new county Undersheriff, Kenneth Boell, came in to report to the commissioners as Sheriff Zollman was hunting. There were 24 inmates, 20 state and four county.
There was a public hearing for sheriff fee increases. There was no public comment at the hearing. Crissy Gipe, with the Sheriff’s Department, said she looked at surrounding counties’ fees and made sure they were comparable. Fees would go into effect the first of November. The commissioners approved the new fees.
After this, the discussion on the Yantis Rock Pit variance was planned. Several residents were present, as well as Meredith Fisher, with Planning and Zoning. Fisher said they had already been advised and gave the commissioners a draft of an approval and a denial. The commissioners then denied the variance without discussion on the basis of not meeting the requirements for a variance. This decision was based on prior legal council as well as Planning and Zoning recommendations. The commissioners said they would still be looking into the ordinance and if it needed to be changed. They also wanted more information from experts on establishing guidelines and regulations for blasting. “We need to do our research and we need to get some help on that,” said Commissioner Joe Iveson. One resident mentioned after that the applicant owned 300 acres in the foothills that was a mile and a half from the nearest house and that might be an ideal place for a rockpit. She said it would be a good idea to look at GIS data to see how many such places exist before deciding on whether to change the ordinance. The Yantis’ did submit an email asking for the ordinance to be reviewed and specifically the one mile radius part be evaluated, however, for the sake of this application, changing the ordinance would not affect this particular proposition as there were still homes under a half mile radius. The applicant also asked how it was fair that grandfathered rock pits were able to expand operations when there were homes in the one mile radius. The commissioners said that the homes she was referring to were built knowing there was already a rockpit there. Commissioner Viki Purdy mentioned they could still use the rockpit for personal use, they just couldn’t sell the rock, although one resident thought the rule was still a mile even for personal use.
After this, the commissioners discussed the upcoming Prosecuting Attorney vacancy. Commissioner Daren Ward wanted to see the job advertised on more job boards, including on the Idaho Bar website. Current Prosecuting Attorney, Chris Boyd, came in and said that they are on a contract through the end of the year but if they find someone sooner he can leave sooner. They should put the job posting on national websites as well. He did still have one person that may be interested and was qualified. Boyd said one thing that he worries about is some of the more gruesome crimes that do occasionally happen here, and he wouldn’t want them to have to go outside of the county for those. He said a couple days of overlap would be a good idea once they find someone so he can show them how to use the systems. Chris Boyd will be leaving for Canyon County at the end of the year and will not be able to come up after that, however he did say he would still be available to consult with via phone if necessary.
