Commissioners urge Fair Board to adopt written policies, tighten purchasing and improve public access

Bonner County commissioners used a Nov. 24 special meeting with the Fair Board to press for written policies, clearer procurement procedures and better public access to meeting materials.

A county commissioner told the fair board that adopting bylaws, standard operating procedures and documented policies would help prevent decisions made "from memory" and improve accountability: "I think adopting standard operating procedures ... for our most important responsibilities as a fair board, we have some basic policies or operating procedures," the commissioner said. The commissioner also recommended aligning any new policies with Idaho Code as discussed in the meeting.

Procurement and cards: Commissioners raised concerns about recurring use of a debit card and a practice that allows the fair manager a monthly purchasing limit (discussed in the meeting as $4,000 to $5,000) for day-to-day incidentals. Jennifer Wyman, the contracted bookkeeper, advised moving from debit cards to credit cards for liability protection and recommended that receipts be provided to the board each meeting for transparency: "As receipts are coming in, that's where I'm hoping that the board is paying attention to that and knowing that we budgeted this much for this project," she said.

Staffing, outsourcing and job descriptions: Commissioners suggested reviewing job descriptions to determine whether tasks being outsourced could be performed by fair staff or whether job descriptions should be updated; the fair board cited a recent in-house bleacher installation that saved roughly $30,000 as an example of successful internal work.

Public access and outreach: Commissioners and fair-board members discussed expanding meeting access (adding Zoom), improving the fairness of agenda posting across the county and fair websites, posting minutes more promptly, and using county email accounts for public-record consistency. Several public commenters urged changes: Wayne Martin, a Bonner County resident, suggested the board publish meeting minutes and asked the fair board to address safety equipment and hydrant water flow.

Next steps: Commissioners suggested scheduling county legal counsel Robert Abel to provide a training on open-meeting law and agenda/package publication. The fair board agreed to take up policy drafting at its next business meeting and to report back to the BOCC.