Bonner County Road and Bridge flags shrinking revenues, aging fleet and staffing pressures; director proposes $1.3M truck line item and apprenticeship program

At the May 11 update, Tom said a change in state accounting means what had been shown separately as a circuit-breaker credit (about $65,000) will now be included in the levy and not tracked separately in the department's revenue lines. "That was always showed separate. So that's 65,000 that's gonna be gone," Tom said, adding that auditing confirmed the reduction is reflected in the levy rather than as a distinct line item.

Tom warned the department will also lose a stream of unanticipated revenue it had used for asphalt; he said past years' totals were roughly $1.8 million and that this year the comparable total was about $6.2 million versus $6.7 million previously. "When it gets over 75 horsepower that's required to have that, they take that out for the farming equipment," Tom said in a different context about equipment rules, underscoring that several external changes are squeezing the budget.

The director outlined an aging fleet and parts-shortage problem. Multiple district trucks are old (he said some are near 30 years old), mechanics struggle to source obsolete parts, and one mag truck has been out of service while a part is on long lead time. "Our trucks are so freaking old that we're we can't get parts," Tom said. A staff member added that a flange and rubber parts for a Mack require manufacture and shipment; they are awaiting parts and expect a couple of days to reassemble once parts arrive.

To address the fleet gap, Tom proposed creating a capital line item with $1.3 million to purchase four heavy trucks (he quoted roughly $302,000 per unit). "I'm just gonna set that line item and put 1.3 in there for 4 trucks. They're $302,000 a piece," he said, and asked whether to include that in the upcoming budget presentation. Commissioners and staff discussed trade-offs about carrying funds forward and using leftover project money for purchases.

Commissioners also pressed on staffing and retention. One member said the director's "budget scares me this go around" and urged a contingency to address pay-scale compression and retention so the county can react without dipping into general contingency funds. Tom said he will add a contingency item for discussion in the budget review and bring the full presentation mid-June.

On workforce development, Tom urged reviving a program to train local high-school graduates for commercial driver's licenses, which would let the county "mold" new hires and speed promotion to operator levels. He said he has discussed the idea with ITD and that North Idaho College workforce training might offer supplemental resources; commissioners recommended coordinating the program with risk management and apprenticeship-sourcing options.

Tom also noted the county has trialed undercoating new truck frames for two years to reduce corrosion and that some departments (ambulance services) have reported benefits; he said the county will continue to monitor the trial before committing to broader purchases.

Tom said he will formally present the budget items, including the proposed truck capital line and contingency options, to commissioners in mid-June so they can adjust priorities before final budget adoption.