COMMISSIONERS MINUTES APRIL 3, 2006
The Elmore County Commissioners met in regular session on the above date in the basement of the Elmore County Courthouse, 150 South 4th East, Mountain Home, Idaho.
Present at the meeting were Chairperson Mary Egusquiza, Commissioners Larry Rose and Connie Cruser. Also present at the meeting were Clerk Best and her Chief Deputy Merrilee Hiler.
Judge David Epis, Monica Halliday, Angela Ireland, and Stephanie Kazyaka appeared before the Board to discuss Juvenile Probation Programs with the Board. Ms. Halliday presented the Board with a packet outlining the information they were presenting at the meeting. The first page, a flow chart, described the various paths the office is using when a juvenile offense occurs. The action taken by the Court and the Juvenile Probation Office is determined by how serious the offense is and whether the juvenile in question is a repeat offender and the plan is discussed with the juvenile and the parents. Diversion, which is a program designed to divert juvenile offenders from formal prosecution was discussed. If a juvenile completes Diversion, the case is closed and the juvenile has no criminal history record on file. In 2004, 53 cases were diverted and in 2005, 62 cases were diverted. The various juvenile programs currently being used were reviewed by the Board and some new programs being considered were discussed. Judge Epis asked if the Board had any questions? Chairperson Egusquiza stated she felt home visits should be done. Ms. Halliday stated that the office has been conducting some home visits, but probably not as extensively as the Board might like. Judge Epis stated he believes a law enforcement officer should be present whenever a home visit is done. The case load was discussed and there are currently 50 cases in the juvenile department. There was discussion whether to contract with someone to assess whether changes should be made to the department and also development of policies and procedures governing how things are done on a day to day basis. Judge Epis and the members of the Juvenile Probation Department thanked the Board for their time and the Board members expressed their gratitude to the Department for sharing the information on the programs currently being used for juveniles and the new ideas being considered.
Motion by Egusquiza, second by Rose, to go into Executive Session pursuant to I.C. 67-2345(b).
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Regular session was resumed and no action was taken as result of the executive session.
Publication of Use of Title III Funds was discussed. A Legal Notice was drafted for publication on April 12, 2006.
Chairperson Egusquiza read a Proclamation into the record:
WHEREAS, April 2006 marks the 38th anniversary of the passage of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, commonly known as the Federal Fair Housing Act; and
WHEREAS, the Idaho Human Rights Commission Act has prohibited discrimination in housing since 1969; and
WHEREAS, equal opportunity for all - regardless of race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin - is a fundamental goal of our nation, state and country; and
WHEREAS, equal access to housing is an important component of this goal - as fundamental as the right to equal education and employment, and;
WHEREAS, housing is a critical component of family and community health and stability and
WHEREAS, housing choice impacts our children’s access to education, our ability to seek and retain employment options, the cultural benefits we enjoy, the extent of our exposure to crime and drugs, and the quality of health care we receive in emergencies; and
WHEREAS, the laws of this nation and our state seek to ensure equality of choice for all transactions involving housing; and
WHEREAS, ongoing education, outreach and monitoring are key to raising awareness of fair housing principles, practices, rights and responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, only through continued cooperation, commitment and support of all Idahoans can barriers to fair housing be removed:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mary Egusquiza, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of Elmore County, do hereby proclaim April 2006 to be FAIR HOUSING MONTH in the County of Elmore County, State of Idaho.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand at the Elmore County Courthouse in Elmore County on this 3rd day of April in the year two-thousand and six.
/S/ MARY E. EGUSQUIZA, Chairperson
/S/ GAIL L. BEST, Clerk of the Board of Commissioners
Motion by Rose, second by Cruser, to approve the Proclamation as read and have the Chair sign it.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
A memorandum regarding reporting and verifying time records was discussed by the Board. Motion by Egusquiza, second by Cruser to sign the memo. The Board instructed Clerk Best to distribute the memo.
Nick Schilz, Chief Deputy Sheriff and Capt. Roy McCallum, appeared before the Board to discuss an incident which occurred in the jail over the weekend. Nick reported that three inmates attempted to hang themselves at the same time. Nick stated it appeared one of them started the process to keep the jail personnel busy while the other two hoped they could successfully complete their attempt. Nick reported the staff was able to successfully cut each inmate down before they quit breathing but each had red marks on their necks from the bed sheets they used in the attempt. Nick stated the latter two had previously made suicide attempts. The inmates are now at Intermountain Hospital for treatment.
Bonnie Sharp, Administrator of Growth and Development and Jo Gridley, Chief Deputy Assessor appeared before the Board to discuss illegal lot splits and recording of deeds. Bonnie showed the Board five or six files to demonstrate that illegal lot splits had occurred. The problem has been discussed before, but a solution has alluded the Board and the departments. Ms. Sharp stated that sometimes her department will catch them, but there could be times that these transactions get through undetected. The problem comes for the new owners, when they apply for a building permit and find that there are problems with the property. The person doing the illegal split is basically avoiding fees and taking a “buyer beware” approach, when the new owners find there is a problem with the property and get stuck with the complications and fees. The problem is compounded because by the time the Assessor’s office gets the deed to work, it is too late - it’s been recorded. The Recorder’s office cannot stop the deed work from being recorded if it is an original and properly notarized and contains all the necessary information. The problem was discussed and Commissioner Rose asked the Clerk to poll the other County Clerks to see if they have a similar problem.
Jo Gridley then discussed solid waste fees with the Board. A general increase in fees was discussed, as well as a fee for dairies, which is not a category assessed as yet in Elmore County. Jo will return later in the day for further discussion on the matter.
Motion by Rose, second by Cruser, to recess for lunch.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
At 1:30 p.m. the Commissioners met in Executive Session pursuant to I.C. 67-2345(d) on a motion by Egusquiza, second by Rose, with Indigent Director Marianne Bate and Indigent secretary Katrina Welch.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
The following decisions were made:
K-08-05-06 Motion by Rose, second by Egusquiza, to approve with a reimbursement order of $100.00 per month.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
K-02-06-05 Motion by Rose, second by Egusquiza, to deny as not indigent, not last resource and applicant can pay with discretionary income.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Regular session resumed.
Rosa Pratt stopped by to check with the Commissioners about a request she had made about using a County office for the CASA Program. Chairperson Egusquiza had Deputy Clerk Steele put in on the next agenda as a business item.
Motion to add the Contract for County Fuel to the agenda by Egusquiza, second by Cruser.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Motion to accept and sign the contract for County Fuel with Hawley’s Automotive, Inc. by Egusquiza, second by Rose. Discussion followed and Prosecutor Schindele suggested that the Board highlight page 3 number 2 on the contract and send a copy of the contract along with a memo to each Elected Official and Department Head explaining that the County has an exclusive contract with Hawleys Automotive and County vehicles should get their gas there.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Weed/Extrication/Search & Rescue Building to be constructed on the jail property was discussed. Chairperson Egusquiza told Prosecutor Schindele she would get her the plans and Prosecutor Schindele stated she would prepare the RFP. The RFP will be put on the next agenda for April 10, 2006 for a morning decision so it can be taken to the Mountain Home News for a publish date of April 12, 2006.
Motion by Egusquiza, second by Rose, to go into Executive Session pursuant to I.C. 67-2345(b).
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Regular session resumed and no action was taken as result of the Executive Session.
A call was placed to Northwest Paramedics and a message was left for them to call the Commissioners back.
At the April 17, 2006 meeting a decision will be made at 2:30 p.m. on the appeal filed by Ricky Tullis and Mike Homan regarding Palm Estates.
Motion by Egusquiza, second by Cruser, to join and pay the fee to the Military Affairs Committee and to make Commissioner Larry Rose the liaison for the County.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
The quarterly jail inspection form received from ICRMP was discussed. Other correspondence received by mail was reviewed. Chairperson Egusquiza read a letter into the record from Jason Meyers:
Jason Meyers, 2268 S. Pruett Road, King Hill, ID 83633
Elmore County Commissioners, 150 South 4th East, Mountain Home, Idaho 83647
Attn: Mr. Larry Rose, Mrs. Mary Egusquiza, and Mrs. Connie Cruser,
Honorable Commissioners,
I am a sugar beet farmer living in King Hill. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to our county agent Mir Seyedbagheri. I have known Mir for a long time, and he has worked with my father and family in Grand View for many years. We all have the greatest respect for his dedication to the farmers and his expertise.
At the end of harvest last year I sat on my harvester at 7:30 in the evening and called Mir to thank him. He has worked very closely with me all season, and his soil and crop management recommendations brought me a sugar beet yield of 33 plus tons with very low fertilizer input. I had a great crop and saved a lot of money in fertilizer.
Mir understands the nature of farming, and is truly dedicated to helping the farmers. His research in our fields shows which products work and which don’t, and he provides us with simple and effective solutions that save us money. Mir is always available to the farmers, and he has given us his cell and home fax numbers so we can contact him directly when we need him. Many times I have called or faxed his home nights, weekends, and even holidays, and he always responds. I can say his house is like a second Extension Office for us. All the farmers I have contact with are extremely appreciative of Mir’s dedication, hard work and expertise in getting the job done. Sometimes we wonder how he does it.
Mir is totally committed to the promotion of agriculture. Farmers all over the state know of his work, and he receives many invitations to talk and give presentations.
Again, we look at Mir as part of our family, and would like to express our appreciation to the Elmore County Commissioners for all your support in making the resource available for him to accomplish all he has done for us.
Sincerely yours, Jason Meyers
Jo Gridley returned to discuss the solid waste fees. The Board decided that there would be a 4.9% increase in the current solid waste fees. After discussion it was decided that for dairies, the base price would be $47.94 multiplied by the number of cows, in increments of 500 animals. Motion by Rose, second by Cruser to increase the current solid waste fees by 4.9%.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Motion by Rose, second by Egusquiza, to set the solid waste fee for dairies as follows: Under farm/shop it would be assessed as a Type A business, or $47.94; and that the dairy itself would be assessed at $47.94 multiplied by the number of cows, in increments of 500 animals - so for example 0-500 cows would be one unit or $47.94 and 501-1,000 would be two units or $95.88 and so on.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
Motion by Egusquiza, second by Rose, to adjourn.
EGUSQUIZA - AYE
ROSE - AYE
CRUSER - AYE Motion carried and so ordered.
/S/ MARY EGUSQUIZA, Chairperson
ATTEST: /S/ GAIL L. BEST, Clerk
