Leslie May Shumate

FUNDS AWARDED – Council accepts LOT Commission recommendations.

Amounts of funding requested and how to distribute Local Option Tax monies were recommended to the Salmon City Council by the LOT Commission. Their recommendations were made after requests for the monies were reviewed by way of telephone, and in person at City Hall. The recommendations were presented to the Salmon City Council at its April 7 meeting.

Eight requests were made for a total of $137,687.

Adventure Crew LLC requested $8,850 for marketing and advertising. It was the full projected amount of the project. The LOT Commission recommended they be awarded $4,425.

Lemhi County Economic Development Association (LCEDA) asked for $3.852 to be used for development of web cams. The full amount of that project was listed at $4,352. The LOT Commission recommended LCEDA be given what they requested, $3,852.

The Lemhi County Farmer’s Market asked for $5,450 for their marketing and outreach materials plan estimated to cost $8,937. The LOT Commission recommended the City Council grant $4,450.

The Salmon Hockey Association requested $25,000 towards its plan to install a Concrete Rink Surface estimated to cost $438,125. The recommendation from the LOT Commission was that the full $25,000 be granted.

The total cost of the proposed Splash Pad at City Park is estimated at $238,900 and the City of Salmon requested $25,000. The LOT Commission recommended the city’s full request for $25,00 be awarded.

The city also requested $10,380 for construction of an Island Park Sidewalk. The estimated cost of that project is the same as requested and the LOT Commission recommended the full amount be given.

The Greater Salmon Valley Chamber of Commerce requested $9,155 to fund visitor information maps and Visitor Center staffing. A Chamber estimate of the cost of the project was $18,750. The LOT Commission recommended that $2,000 be granted.

The Salmon Whitewater Association asked for $50,000 to go towards its $1,190,200 Whitewater Park project. The Commission recommended that $48,000 be awarded.

The total amount of requests was $137,687. The total of funds recommended for distribution by the Commission was $123,107 leaving a fund balance of $421.00 in the LOT account. The monies from the February and March Local Option Tax collections has yet to arrive. It was pointed out that the money approved will stay in city hands until the projects are ready to begin.

Councilor Jim Baker complimented the commission on an easy to understand and well-presented presentation

A motion to accept all the LOT recommendations was made by Councilor Fred Waidely and was unanimously approved.

Participating by telephone in the meeting where the LOT applications were reviewed and recommendations were decided were Jennifer Call and Mary Benton. Participating in the simultaneous meeting at City Hall were Amy Fealko and Harlan Finnemore. Commissioner Rachel Tyler was absent.

City Council approves new/old subdivision.

The Salmon City Council approved a development agreement for a new subdivision at its March 17 meeting.

The Bluffs Subdivision is located on South Saint Charles Street at Katherine Lane across from the Syringa Apartments. The subdivision had been before the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Board several years ago. It was not approved due to some details missing and questions to be answered such as, who is expected to pay what fees and a Planning and Zoning requirement for each lot owner to have a run-off plan. City Administrator Emery Penner said those details have been worked out and the 9-lot plan is much smaller than the expansive plan originally introduced. He said it’s time for an approval so the developers can move forward.

City Attorney Fred Snook said the new agreement regarding who pays for city hook ups is written correctly clearing up former confusion. He said this agreement states that no city utility or hook-up fees will be paid until the person who purchases the building lot signs up with the City of Salmon for the services. The developer pays for the meter installation and all the parts leading up to a city connection. The developer will not be responsible for the city hook-up fees and monthly fees thereafter.

Councilor Jim Baker had many questions about the agreement one of them being why there are Phase I Phase II time frames and he questioned the sewer line route being proposed to serve the lots. He asked why each individual lot had to do its own run-off plan instead of the whole subdivision. Jared Bragg of High Basin Engineering. the project’s engineer, said in the first hearings the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board was worried about storm run-off problems once the lot is sold. P&Z made the individual owners having to have a run-off plan for their property a condition of obtaining a building permit. As to the thinking behind the time frames of the phases Bragg said the developer in this case is used to working in municipalities that demand to know when the property will be developed. Penner agreed that for city planning purposes it would be a good thing to have a time-frame of completion.

In answer to the question of a sewer easement for the city Bragg said there is an easement in the plat map and he said the positioning of the line is to take advantage of a gravity flow system rather having to have an in-line pump or lift station.

The question-and-answer discussion continued until it came time for a vote. Councilors Robin Phillips, Russ Chinski, Jim Bockelman, Fred Waidely and Neal James voted ‘yes’ and Baker voted ‘no’. The Bluff Subdivision was approved.

The council went on to approve a $10,000 grant for extra law enforcement patrol, the SSAPCO Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Police Chief KV Felker said it is the same funding that was approved last year and that it was helpful for overtime hours. He said it is also available for the Sheriff’s Office overtime as well. The council voted unanimous to approve the MOU.

Council discusses what to do about nuisances.

The most common definition of the word “nuisance” is “…that which causes offense, annoyance, trouble or injury, either public or private.” In the city of Salmon, nuisance starts with noxious weeds and saunters on through junk cars.

There are local laws against being or creating a nuisance however; enforcement is the tricky part when it comes to private property or entering private property and that was the focus of a discussion at the March 17 meeting of the Salmon City Council.

City Attorney Fred Snook has been studying the compliance problems caused by uncaring local residents and he reported his findings as an informational update. He said some of the terminology in current laws needs to be reworded. Saying the city will ‘abate’ the problem if the property owner doesn’t, implies the city will take the clean-up steps necessary and he doesn’t think the city has the manpower or the time to do that. As written, if a property owner is ordered by a city officer to abate the problem and refuses the problem can go to a hearing where the case is heard by that same officer. Snook said it makes no sense to put the officer in charge of the hearing and is an example of inefficient code language which needs to be cleaned up.

There is also the abatement issue of; if the property owner does not remove the nuisance the city can do the abatement, keep track of the expenses and charge the owner but the odds of getting reimbursed are slim. Snook said the city needs to find an alternative way to avoid the abatement process.

He said there are some communities such, as Fruitland, Idaho, where a full-time abatement officer is employed for between $60 or $70 thousand a year. Salmon doesn’t have that kind of money in the budget.

Snook said that rather than go through the abatement process the city could consider sending x-number of notices until reaching the point a Misdemeanor is served which would mean a Magistrate Court appearance. He said hopefully that would encourage people to voluntarily comply with the nuisance ordinance.

If all of that fails and the situation goes to an abatement process the city will have to come up with an abatement budget along with an understanding that if the city did a nuisance abatement on a private property there could be liability issues. Councilor Robin Phillips commented that other cities place a lien on the property in the amount of the clean-up.

City Administrator Emery Penner said the object is to restructure what is already in the code so that property owner compliance, to satisfy the safety issue or the fire hazard, can be achieved without having to go to an abatement process. He said the nuisance focus should be based on the degree of safety issues or health hazards

Snook said the discussion was only to inform the council as to what changes are being considered and the city staff will continue to work on the Nuisance Ordinance.

During the council’s Roundtable Discussion Councilor Russ Chinski congratulated Salmon Hockey for its great season, with everything that’s going on, and said it’s wonderful to have that outdoor rink and the hockey games. Councilor Jim Bockelman alerted the council to a brochure from the Department of Environmental Quality that shows the air in Salmon is better than it was last year at this time plus a temperature chart comparing this year to last year. Mayor Leo Marshall and Penner were recently given a tour of the new gymnasium structure by former city Public Works Superintendent Harry Shanafelt. Marshall recommended that the rest of the council do the same. He said it is amazing and the current goal is…Open by Graduation.

Latest Covid-19 numbers are better except for Idaho Falls

Steele Memorial Chief Executive Officer Jeanie Gentry reported to the Salmon City Council Wednesday evening, March 17, that 122 employees of the hospital have received the COVID-19 vaccination which amounts to 60 percent of the hospital staff. She said some of the staff members were refraining in the name of being guinea pigs but have now decided to go ahead.

She quoted from a report sent by Eastern Idaho Public Health Director Geri Rackow which shows the Health Department is now working on delivering vaccinations for the Priority 2.3 group. That grouping includes Ag and food workers, manufacturing workers, US Postal Service workers as well as all the previously eligible groups of 65 and older, healthcare workers, first responders, and teachers.

The most recent schedule for vaccinations is; March 15 for people aged 55-64 with at least one medical condition which puts them at an increased risk for the virus; March 22 for people aged 55-64 from the general population; March 29 for those aged 45-54 with at least one condition that puts them at risk and, April 5 for those aged 45-54 from the general population.

April 12 those aged 16-44 with at least one medical condition will be vaccinated and April 26 is for those aged 16-44 from the general population. For a full list of what is considered “at risk” visit the CDC web site.

Gentry said that the state’s Vaccine Transparency web site shows 1,786 local residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. She said things remain quiet in Lemhi County COVID-19 wise, however, the virus is on the rise in Idaho Falls. She advised precautions if anyone is headed that way.

On an increasingly brighter note, Jared Bragg of the Salmon Hockey Association said thanks to the great local volunteer effort and a great program, after 30 years Salmon has now become a hockey destination spot. He said there were 172 skaters this year and Salmon hosted eight tournaments six of which were full. There was a total of 160 youth games at the rink this year compared to 150 last year.

Back in November of 2020 when numbers were high and Salmon was in the critical virus zone, he said the association put together a COVID-19 Plan. They took attendance for the purpose of tracking; they took temperatures of the players and Steele Memorial helped them develop a locker room plan which he said was followed reasonably well. The tournaments ran from mid-November until February.

This year the association’s intention was to obtain a new Zamboni machine for the rink but soon found out that it could not be purchased from Canada, as intended, due to US emissions requirements. They had raised money for a Zamboni but all they could find on the internet was a brand-new machine or one with way too many miles. An anonymous donor offered to make up the difference between what had been raised and the cost of a used one. To the delight of all concerned a machine was purchased from California that only had 25 hours on it and the purchase was the highlight of the season.

Bragg is also the High School Hockey Coach. The team made it to the State Championship where it lost to Boise by a score of 4 to 3. Losing by such a margin to a school the size of Boise was a personal highlight for him.

The association’s next goal is $500,000 worth of concrete insulation under the rink that could result in a 55 percent energy savings. Bragg estimates that goal will take from four to five years to achieve. He mentioned it to the City Council in keeping with the approval process agreement to use city land for the rink.

Putting the new $500,000 goal in perspective, Bragg said a 2019 economic impact study revealed the Hockey Rink brings in $1.7 million dollars a year to Lemhi County. In four years, that would be close to $7 million. He said $500,000 is a big amount to raise but there is also a big benefit.’), (4279, ‘BYRNE JUSTICE GRANT’, ‘2021-04-07’, 1, ‘City Council officially accepts Byrne Justice monies.’, ‘DRUGS COMING THIS WAY 4-7-21 LMS

The city of Salmon has officially accepted a Byrne Justice (no-matching funds required) Grant of $94,604.

Police Department Sergeant Terry Stratton explained the details of the grant to the April 7 City Council meeting. He said the money is a grant to pay equipment and overtime costs related to drug traffic which according to Stratton “…is coming this way.”

He said Salmon is being overrun by traffic from California, Oregon and Washington State where some drugs have been legalized. The money is meant to also be used by the Lemhi County Narcotics Enforcement Team, (LCNET) created for multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement.

Stratton said a recent stabbing in Salmon was drug related and three weeks ago, due to a traffic stop, a Canine Officer alerted to a large shipment of drugs in the vehicle.

The grant breaks down to $62,323 for personnel. $12,000 for training, $20,281 for surveillance equipment and basically upgrades to everything. A new police officer has been hired recently and there are currently Drug Interdiction Patrols using Canine Officers on Highway 28 and Highway 93 north and south.

City Councilor Jim Bockelman made a motion to accept the Byrne Justice Grant. The roll-call vote to approve was unanimous.

The evening’s Roundtable Discussion included Councilor Jim Baker praising the addition of an Agenda Summary which has been added to the council’s information packets. He said it was helpful information. Councilor Waidely agreed and said it was a marvelous refresher on previous meetings. He also said he appreciates the department-by-department updates and called that a tremendous idea. On another topic Waidely said for years there has been a bench at Veteran’s Park, getting older and older. He said it was dedicated to someone but no one remembers to whom, and the dedication plaque is unreadable. He said the deterioration had reached the point of being hazardous. According to Waidely personnel from Fernwaters Charter School, adjacent to Veteran’s Park, told him their students would be happy to replace the bench and donate the cost. Waidely said the replacement is in place, is beautiful and looks to him like it will last for at least 50 years. He sent many thanks.

Councilor Jim Bockelman reminded the council that the city taking over the Planning and Zoning duties for the city has meant a lot of extra work for the city staff. He said that should be taken into account during the 2022 budget discussion.

Councilor Neal James said since councilors have all been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus there needs to be a discussion on whether or not masks need to be worn during council meetings. Councilor Robin Phillips recommended that everyone watch a podcast done by the state’s Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin. It is regarding the COVID-19 virus and effects of Vitamin D. Zinc and Magnesium as protection measures. Phillips said she will forward the internet address of the podcast to the council members.

The next meeting of the Salmon City Council is scheduled for April 21 at 6PM in Salmon City Hall. Audio will be available by telephone or by ‘GoToMeeting.’ Access numbers are available by calling City Hall.

Risch cites unspent Covid 19 monies from previous relief bills

As U.S. debt nears $30 trillion, D.C. should look to Idaho for a better approach.

Guest column submitted by U.S. Senator Jim Risch

Despite falling COVID-19 case counts;

Despite President Biden’s assurances of bipartisan cooperation;

Despite $1,000,000,000,000.00 ($1 Trillion) in unspent COVID-19 aid across the country from previous relief bills;

Democrats are on the precipice of passing a $1,900,000,000,000.00 ($1.9 Trillion) COVID-19 spending plan through Congress without a single Republican vote. The previous five relief bills were all passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

Unlike the five bipartisan COVID-19 relief bills before it, this $1.9 Trillion spending plan is packed with funding for special interests and longtime liberal priorities. Early COVID-19 relief bills provided funds for testing and vaccine development, personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline health care workers, and grants to keep small businesses afloat. In stark contrast, this package devotes hundreds of billions of dollars to items like expanding Obamacare and tens of millions to “climate justice.”

These are not efforts that will benefit people who need help related to the impact of COVID-19.

The bill also offers $350 Billion to state and local governments. That’s more than 87 times Idaho’s entire annual budget which will predominantly be awarded to states that rang up billions in unpaid debt long before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Under Democrats’ plan, poorly-run states will receive the biggest government payouts over well-managed states like Idaho which, despite a year of extraordinary challenges, ranks first in the country for economic momentum, financial solvency, and personal income growth.

Thanks to the leadership of Governor Little and the State Legislature, Idaho is in the strongest possible position to emerge from the pandemic in even better financial shape than we were in going into it. Remarkably, Idaho currently carries a budget surplus. The United States is $28 Trillion in debt and about to add nearly $2 trillion more to that total, a 7 percent increase in our national debt with a single bill. That’s spending with no revenue source to pay for it. It’s all borrowed money. That’s more than $84,000 in debt for every man, woman, and child in the country.

Idaho has a long history of fiscal responsibility and conservative governing, and when it comes to Idaho’s balanced budget approach, the proof is in the pudding. Last year, states across the country slashed their budgets by 20- to 40- percent. Meanwhile, Idaho’s efforts to cut red tape and limit government spending helped deliver the largest ever budget surplus on record.

In Idaho, we have much to be proud of. We make our home in a place that is committed to small government and responsible spending. Idaho’s leaders are building a future rooted in these conservative principles where our children’s children can learn, grow, and prosper.

Idaho’s economic recovery has not been even, and some are still in great financial distress. However, there are still more than $1 trillion in unspent funds from the last bipartisan COVID relief bill that have yet to be tapped. Furthermore, Republicans proposed a smaller, more targeted relief bill without state and local government bailouts and much of the wasteful spending we see in the current bill. Republicans’ good faith effort was summarily dismissed by Democrat leaders from President Biden on down.

There’s still time to turn things around in Washington, D.C., but the goalpost of fiscal responsibility gets further away every day. We must start digging out of the spending hole we’ve created for ourselves before it’s too late. This is not a Democrat problem or a Republican problem, it’s an American problem. It’s time for Washington, D.C. to take a page out of Idaho’s playbook and take responsibility for getting our nation’s fiscal house in order so we can give future generations the America they deserve.

Lack of housing inspires revisit of duplex ordinance.

Councilor Fred Waidely opened a discussion on the status of the Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Board at Wednesday’s March 3rd City Council Meeting.

The subject was started in February by complaints regarding Salmon’s lack of housing. The suggestion was made that perhaps the Bar Hill’s ban on duplex housing should be reevaluated which led to a possible need for changes to the city’s Development Code which in turn wound up on the P&Z doorstep.

Waidely said he hasn’t found anyone who knows who the P&Z commission members are, there is no City P &Z Administrator and as a result the council doesn’t know what questions to ask. He said the council hasn’t been paying attention to P&Z and the end result is total confusion. Waidely said there needs to be a P&Z Administrator and that is a very involved job which demands a lot of qualifications. He said, “We’re in trouble here folks with Planning and Zoning. We’re dead in the water.” He said the situation needs to be fixed right now.

In the recent past the city has paid the county $18,000 a year for P&Z administrative services. First, P&Z Administrator Gary Goodman retired and Teresa Morton was named as his replacement. Then Morton resigned to take on another county job leaving the administrator’s post vacant.

City Administrator Emery Penner agreed with Waidely’s assessment and said he and City Clerk Mary Benton have been working the problem, transferring everything back to the city, and the process has been going very well. He said there are some code changes already in the works which Morton will see through, so now would be a good time to review any other code changes.

He foresees that putting the $18,000 back in the city’s budget would allow the city to hire someone for P&Z administration in the future, but for now everything is manageable.

He asked the council to give him some ideas to take to a P&Z meeting scheduled for next week. He asked for specifics as to what the council wants the P&Z to do or to change so the process of a public hearing can be initiated.

Councilor Robin Phillips said the focus is; there is no available housing, which points to no multiple housing units on the Bar Hill.

Waidely said there are several things that could be done and that there is a chapter on each option in the current Salmon Development Code. He said it will take time to study and that perhaps the council should hold a special City Council meeting to examine and discuss the options and then hold a public hearing. Councilor Jim Baker said they need to determine who is on the P&Z Board and exactly what legal process to follow.

As far as what action to take that evening City Attorney Fred Snook defined the ‘action item’ on the evening’s agenda as a request for the P&Z Board to look into adding certain types of multiple family dwellings as a ‘permitted use’ to the Development Code. He said that would start the ball rolling and P&Z could then decide what action to take and what process to follow.

Councilor Phillips made a motion to formally ask the P&Z to look into adding certain types of multiple family dwellings as a permitted use in the LDR zone. Her motion passed unanimously.

District Ranger outlines fuels reduction plans.

North Fork District Ranger Ken Gebhardt and Salmon/Cobalt/Leadore District Ranger Kyra Povirk presented the latest information on forest activities to the March 3 meeting of the Salmon City Council. The tag-team’s 40 minute presentation covered the topics of timber sales, fuels reduction projects, prescribed burning, the Williams Farm Bill, mineral activities and recreation.

Gebhardt said the Williams Farm Bill sale is very likely to start this year. He said Gary England purchased a sale in the Lost Trail area and will be starting the harvest soon. Several past timber sale purchases will be continuing harvest activities this year as the entire timber industry is gearing up for the harvest season. He said the Williams Farm Bill harvest is part of the Salmon Municipal Watershed fuels reduction project where two years ago 10 acres were treated and last year an additional 10 acres were treated. He anticipates another 10 to 20 acres of fuel will be treated this year. Hazardous fuels reduction work on a 23,000-acre area along the Stormy Peak Road is slated to begin this year.

Gebhardt also said that during public comment periods on proposed fuel reduction projects much valuable information was received from the public and will be incorporated in final decisions. Included in the comments were concerns about public access, firewood cutting, grazing rights, preserving established roads, policies on decommissioning roads and preserving stands of old growth forest. He said a team will take those comment and analyze them as they move into the next phase of the project.

Last year there were no prescribed burns on the forest due to COVID-19. This year several small burns are planned consisting of piled timber in the North Fork and Gibbonsville areas.

He listed forest events for the year as; the Beaverhead Endurance Run on July 10, Rally in the Pines has sent an application for July 17 which is being reviewed and June 19 is set for the Salmon Fire Department Buzz Wing Memorial Poker Fun Run.

Povirk began her presentation with the Great American Outdoor Act (GAOA) which funds deferred maintenance projects for five years. She said she is open to hear proposals for how to spend the money. She said some examples of appropriate projects in the works are trail and road maintenance on Forest Service property, recreation site maintenance, road maintenance and other projects beneficial to the public use. Ideas already proposed include the Williams Lake Road from Capps ranch down, 20 miles of the Williams Creel Road, a portion of the Iron Creek Road, the Ridge Road, and the Rattlesnake Road.

Several suggestions came from the council and Povirk encouraged submitting proposals which are due later this month.

As far as mineral activity in the Cobalt/Leadore district there is a lot of it with exploration of creeks and beginnings of the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process on some projects.

The main interest is in gold, copper and cobalt. That morning cobalt was listed at $23.95 a pound which is a 52-week high. Povirk said the Jervois company is planning on further site development at the Cobalt Mine this Spring and will be hiring from outside the area for the resources they need. Povirk said there is other mineral interest and development of Plans of Operation going on throughout the district and Revival Gold will start drilling operations at the old Bear Track Mine soon.

Further information may be obtained at the Salmon/Challis Forest Service headquarters on Highway 93 South. FOREST NEWS 3-3-21 LMS

North Fork District Ranger Ken Gebhardt and Salmon/Cobalt/Leadore District Ranger Kyra Povirk presented the latest information on forest activities to the March 3 meeting of the Salmon City Council. The tag-team’s 40 minute presentation covered the topics of timber sales, fuels reduction projects, prescribed burning, the Williams Farm Bill, mineral activities and recreation.

Gebhardt said the Williams Farm Bill sale is very likely to start this year. He said Gary England purchased a sale in the Lost Trail area and will be starting the harvest soon. Several past timber sale purchases will be continuing harvest activities this year as the entire timber industry is gearing up for the harvest season. He said the Williams Farm Bill harvest is part of the Salmon Municipal Watershed fuels reduction project where two years ago 10 acres were treated and last year an additional 10 acres were treated. He anticipates another 10 to 20 acres of fuel will be treated this year. Hazardous fuels reduction work on a 23,000-acre area along the Stormy Peak Road is slated to begin this year.

Gebhardt also said that during public comment periods on proposed fuel reduction projects much valuable information was received from the public and will be incorporated in final decisions. Included in the comments were concerns about public access, firewood cutting, grazing rights, preserving established roads, policies on decommissioning roads and preserving stands of old growth forest. He said a team will take those comment and analyze them as they move into the next phase of the project.

Last year there were no prescribed burns on the forest due to COVID-19. This year several small burns are planned consisting of piled timber in the North Fork and Gibbonsville areas.

He listed forest events for the year as; the Beaverhead Endurance Run on July 10, Rally in the Pines has sent an application for July 17 which is being reviewed and June 19 is set for the Salmon Fire Department Buzz Wing Memorial Poker Fun Run.

Povirk began her presentation with the Great American Outdoor Act (GAOA) which funds deferred maintenance projects for five years. She said she is open to hear proposals for how to spend the money. She said some examples of appropriate projects in the works are trail and road maintenance on Forest Service property, recreation site maintenance, road maintenance and other projects beneficial to the public use. Ideas already proposed include the Williams Lake Road from Capps ranch down, 20 miles of the Williams Creel Road, a portion of the Iron Creek Road, the Ridge Road, and the Rattlesnake Road.

Several suggestions came from the council and Povirk encouraged submitting proposals which are due later this month.

As far as mineral activity in the Cobalt/Leadore district there is a lot of it with exploration of creeks and beginnings of the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process on some projects.

The main interest is in gold, copper and cobalt. That morning cobalt was listed at $23.95 a pound which is a 52-week high. Povirk said the Jervois company is planning on further site development at the Cobalt Mine this Spring and will be hiring from outside the area for the resources they need. Povirk said there is other mineral interest and development of Plans of Operation going on throughout the district and Revival Gold will start drilling operations at the old Bear Track Mine soon.

Further information may be obtained at the Salmon/Challis Forest Service headquarters on Highway 93 South. 

Council approves several items

An updated City Personnel Policy was adopted by the Salmon City Council at its March 3rd meeting.

The policy was accepted after a discussion about the minor changes made to the document. City Administrator Emery Penner said the changes were made mainly because the document hadn’t been updated for several years. Topics discussed included proper procedure in the instance of harassment and the fact there used to be a committee an employee could consult and maybe one should be reestablished. It was pointed out that this city’s City Hall staff is so small that if there is a complaint the only person to go to is that person’s supervisor and that may not be a comfortable thing to do. No decision was made as reestablishing a committee.

The general policy addresses everything in the Civil Rights Act. Penner said he believes the city’s policy has many options should that situation arise.

After hearing an opinion of ICRMP’s (Idaho Counties Risk Management Program) positive view of the city’s revised Personnel Policy, Councilor Fred Waidely made a motion to approve the updated Personnel Policy and It passed unanimously.

An agreement between the city and the Biomark Company for placement of a fish monitoring device was brought before the council. Penner said the device would be placed on the Sacajawea Center property along the Lemhi River in an out-of-the-way place. City Attorney \r\nFred Snook reviewed the agreement document and approved it. Councilor Jim baker made a motion to approve and it passed unanimously.

A Professional Services agreement with High Basin Engineering also passed unanimously on a motion by Baker. It is for the engineering on the Kid’s Creek Pond flood mitigation. The agreement had been reviewed by Snook and approved.

The council went on to approve an update on a Fair Housing Resolution. It was a detail required for the Block Grant funding application the city is submitting for water delivery system upgrades. Councilor Jim Bockelman made the motion.

The next approval was for acceptance of a $7,500 grant from the Auen Foundation for the Sacajawea Center. No match is required for the grant. Councilor Robin Phillips took the opportunity to praise the work being done by Center Director Suzy Avey. She commended Avey’s ability to find no-match grants for improvement of the facility. Acceptance of the grant was unanimous.

After a thorough discussion, the council decided to follow city code and waive sewer and water bills for six months after the recent house fire on 10th Street that destroyed the home. The decision was unanimous.

The next meeting of the Salmon City Council is set for March 17 at 6 PM.

Self-insurer doing well after ten years in business.

Amy Manning, Executive Director of III-A Trust, provided a yearly update of the company’s status to the March 3 meeting of the Salmon City Council. The city is a member of the Trust which handles the city’s health insurance needs.

She said III-A Trust, pronounced triple I-A Trust, is a self-funded Trust which has just celebrated its the tenth anniversary and they are happy to have the city of Salmon as one of their agencies. Manning said the purpose of the update is to look at the preceding year to see how the Trust is performing. The report presented to the council members featured a current list of partnering agencies, a list of staff members, the Board of Trustees membership and consultants.

Manning said they increased the number of agencies last year by 20 percent and the employee count increased by 41.9 percent indicating the Trust’s substantial growth. Forty-four agencies inquired about the trust last year and 12 of them became members. Not everyone is accepted by the Trust. Applicants have to go through a stringent risk assessment review before acceptance. Two of the current participating agencies added dental coverage and one added vision services to improve their employee’s coverage. She said the goal of the Trust is to create the best benefit plans that they can by pooling together and making the services affordable. In turn the agencies can give affordable coverage to their employees.

She said the Trust’s budget increased by 49 percent last year. The budget comes from member contributions. The information presented also included what the Trust paid in medical claims last year, how much was paid for the two catastrophic insurance policies required by the state of Idaho for all self-funded companies plus the details of the Trust’s banking information.

Manning said the trust’s surplus has increased over the last five years which was done purposely by the Board of Trustees which has been trained to put a little aside for the proverbial rainy day, such as the pandemic. They did use part of those funds last year because of the state’s financial uncertainties caused by the pandemic. Manning said the tele-help 24-hour program established in 2020 was very successful. There were no members in intensive care last year due to COVID-19 however the trust covered 100 percent of pandemic related costs. As of November, the Trust had spent $800,000 in treatment of COVID-19. They submitted a report of expenditures to the state COVID-19 Advisory committee and the committee agreed to reimburse the funds with federal funds. They also reimbursed the state of Idaho for their insurance plan and Manning said that was very helpful since their expenses were quite significant.

One thing discovered last year was the need for mental health coverage and providers. The Trust is evaluating the statewide need and mental health is in the top five of critical illness expenses.

She explained that the trust contracts with Blue Cross of Idaho for administrative services and it should be explained to employees that they are not covered by Blue Cross. III-A Trust is the self-funded insurance carrier and any questions should be directed to it.

Manning said the trust has been able to negotiate lower administrative and pharmaceutical costs which will help lower Trust expenses this coming year.

Overall, she said the review shows that the III-ATrust is performing very well.

Last year a study by Keller Associates revealed some heavily fatigued components in the city’s water delivery system. The city is taking the study results seriously and has gone through the list of needs on a priority basis. High on the list is a generator large enough to supply enough power to run the water treatment plant in case of an extended outage. Other aspects of the phase one project include a pressure regulating system for the Bar Hill and water line replacements.

The city of Salmon, with the assistance of Rick Miller of the East Central Idaho Planning and Development Company, has applied for a $400,000 Block Grant for the first phase. City Administrator Emery Penner said funding for the first phase is pretty much secured and it’s time to start the second phase which will be a $7.8 million project. “We are hoping to get at least a 40 percent grant on this phase. We still need to secure a bond in order to take on the debt that isn’t covered by the grant.”

Penner said the bond can be obtained either by voter approval in a city election or by Judicial Confirmation which is more expedient but still a long process. He said the city wants to get a head start on whichever way is decided since Phase II will take more engineering, more time and more money due to the extensive nature of the project.

Councilor Robin Phillips was concerned about the cost-of-living impact a bond would have on taxpayers. City Finance Director Amy Fealko said it would be a 2.5 percent increase for the next two years to what is being charged now and City Attorney Fred Snook estimated a $1.00 per month increase.

The question to be decided that evening, February 17, 2021, was whether to seek a bond election or apply for Judicial Confirmation. Phillips was assured there is a mandated Public Hearing involved in the Judicial Confirmation process so the public would have an input opportunity.

Councilor Jim Baker recalled the last time the city used Judicial Confirmation was for the city’s wastewater treatment plant and during the public hearing much information was gathered. Councilor Fred Waidely said the information from that hearing facilitated more informed decisions by the council.

Penner stated there is no guarantee the city will receive Judicial Confirmation.

Baker made a motion to proceed with the Judicial Confirmation process of obtaining a bond. During the discussion period following the motion Phillips said she supports the project but not the Judicial Confirmation method. Baker’s motion passed five to one with Baker, Bockelman, Russ Chinski, Waidely, and Neal James in favor and Phillips opposed.

The council went on to approve Penner putting out an official Request for Engineering Qualifications. He said that process can be done so the engineering will be ready to go when the final funding is approved. The vote to approve a motion by James to send out a Request for Engineering Qualifications was unanimous.

Another unanimous vote went to Sacajawea Center Director Suzy Avey’s request to apply for a $4,000 CHC grant which she would use for new benches at the center.