Adapted from the official minutes, recorded by County Clerk Shanci Dorius

Phone System

A phone system proposal was presented by Kyle Redman and Dave Perry with ATC Communications.  The Oneida County phone system is very complex, and ATC said that an updated system that would make all lines digital would cost less than what the county is currently paying.  One caveat to the cost savings is the requirements in place for law enforcement telecommunications is Solacom.  It is part of the law enforcement telecommunications system and would require installation of a $17,000 - $20,000 component to digitize the analog system.  ATC will present additional information and provide quotes at the next commissioners meeting.

Planning and Zoning

A monthly report for Planning and Zoning was given by Administrator Rhonda Neal. The number and type of items they are reviewing are: 1 minor subdivision, 2 full subdivisions, 6 conditional use applications (2 pending approval), 2 parcel splits, 2 rezones, 16+ reported violations.

Neal came before the board of commissioners regarding the establishment of a fee schedule. Currently there is no schedule of fees for amendments, appeals, variances, conditional use permits, subdivisions, plan approvals, or other matters pertaining to the administration and enforcement of the ordinances. This would sustain the planning and zoning department if development trends in Oneida County continue. Planning & Zoning staff requested a hearing before the board of commissioners.  Mrs. Neal will forward a PowerPoint and a staff report to the commissioners.  Commissioner Lewis would like to see the report prior to scheduling a public hearing and requested that the topic be added to the agenda for 8/12 for further discussion.  

Planning & Zoning Administrator Rhonda Neal presented the commissioners with the final plats for two subdivisions that were ready for commissioner signature/approval.  The first was a minor subdivision plat for Homefront Views (Allen & Vilate Nielson). The second was a three-lot minor subdivision for the My Darling Earl subdivision (Lex Firth) on Highway 191.

The final plat for Homefront Views, a minor subdivision on 3900 West was approved.

The final subdivision plat on the My Darling Earl subdivision was approved.

Town Hall Meeting

The next Town Hall meeting was discussed, with the topic suggestion of Emergency Preparedness.  Commissioners will limit the town hall to 1.5 – 2 hours with public comment accepted at the end of the presentation.  Suggested dates were 10/29 or 10/30, and will depend on which day the presenters are available. 

Event Center Cleaning

Contact cleaning services during fair week and bathroom access for scheduled outdoor activities throughout the year were discussed. It was determined that it is acceptable to unlock the outside access doors to the restrooms while leaving the inside door locked (to limit access inside the event center for outdoor-only activities).

BLM Lease

Discussion regarding the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lease was re-visited.  The 16x8 foot enclosed structure on the property is listed on the lease.  Danny Miller, a realty specialist for the BLM, sent a response to Attorney Lyle Fuller’s inquiries.  Mr. Miller indicated that the state of Idaho has disposed of the building via donation to Oneida County. The Oneida County commissioners would like a copy of the email stating the fact.  The lease states Oneida County would be the sole owners of the building and could lease the building to other entities, including the Raccoon Radio Club and Utah VHS Society.  The BLM does not consider the building to be a permanent structure and will not need a quick claim deed to complete the transfer of ownership. A “bill of sale” type document will suffice.  

Commissioner Jeppsen motioned to sign the Communications Use Lease Agreement with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the building given to Oneida County by the state of Idaho, which currently resides on the Holbrook Summit.  Motion passed.

Deep Creek Permit

The Oneida County Deep Creek Permit with the Forest Service is a zero-dollar lease. Attorney Fuller reviewed the document and presented his thoughts and concerns for with the board of commissioners. The name on the permit should be “Oneida County” and not an individual name.  There was also concern about obligating the county to care for land without being able to spray weeds without having to get permission each time. One alternative was to add a clause to allow spraying without requesting permission.  There was discussion about committing the county for an extended period, since twenty-nine-years may be too long. The commissioners expressed concern about following Idaho Code to not obligate a future board of commissioners, unless a clause could be added that would allow a future board to cancel the lease. Commissioner Jeppsen pondered whether the length could work to Oneida County’s advantage.  Sheriff Jones stated that the last lease was a five-year lease but the lease prior to that was thirty-years.  The details of the future lease states that the county would be responsible for improvements / maintenance / rebuilding on the site. The Idaho Department of Fish & Game has stated they would be willing to pull the docks out and clean toilets (improve docks, restrooms).  

Budget

The board of commissioners discussed the necessity of finalizing budgets for fiscal year 2025.  They will hold a special meeting on August 6, 2024 at 9:00 am.

Development Code

The second amendment of the Oneida County Development Code (ordinance number 2022-08-01) includes all approved amendments adopted on June 10, 2024.  The document was finalized by Fuller & Fuller and brought to the board of county commissioner meeting for signature.  After it is signed, it will be recorded and posted on the county website as a searchable document.

Sheriff’s Office

The Oneida County Sheriff presented quotes on equipment, specifically vehicle camera and body camera systems.  One five-year quote on body cams was $122,000.  A second quote for just eight (of the eleven needed) vehicle video cameras would cost $32,000 yearly.  A third quote from Digital Ally was nearly $300,000 over five-years.  The Oneida County Sheriff’s office currently uses Digital Ally, but there are issues with not keeping equipment upgraded and iCloud and redaction services cost extra.  A five-year, $195,000 bid from Motorola has more included features than Digital Ally such as replacing some equipment every thirty-six months (does not include vehicle cameras).  It also has additional charges for services such as cloud storage, transferring previous records from a previous platform, and although they offer and application for redaction, someone in-house has to be paid for their time spent doing the redactions.  Both Sheriff Arne Jones and Attorney Lyle Fuller followed up the LensLock presentation from a previous meeting by calling Idaho Falls, who recently signed with LensLock.  Mr. Fuller was told that the service was very new to Idaho Falls and they did not have much to offer on how the service was (yet) but it was mentioned the service they used previously had a lot of issues.  Sheriff Jones was told that Idaho Falls liked the service so far.  The LensLock bid costs $158,870 ($31,74 yearly) and includes fifteen body cams (replaced every thirty-months), eleven in-car cameras, CAD integration (report sync), redaction services, unlimited cloud storage, and is based in Salt Lake City.  Regardless of which system is ultimately chosen, it would be an add-on to the capital budget for fiscal year 2025.

Commissioner Eliason motioned to accept the LensLock agreement with the Sheriff’s office for $31,774 annually for five-years to begin in the 2025 budget year and would be paid out of the capital budget. Motion carried.