Fair Board Doubles Down Against Bonner CommissionMEN
by Shari Dovale
For many months now, since the inception of the newest Bonner County Commission Board (BOCC), the 2 CommissionMEN have had a seemingly secret agenda to force down the throats of the county citizens.
It seems to be a secret agenda because every time they are asked specific questions, on the record, they choose to avoid answering. The most common question is “Why this particular piece of land?”
If a new RV campground is so important, and if it is really the motivation of these 2 men, then placing it on other land, that is already under the control of the Fair board, would be a reasonable solution. However, they insist that they can ONLY place the RV campground on this particular piece of property, which has been designated for a new Justice Center for the county.
Commissioner Luke Omodt has repeated that he wants to wait to include the Fair board in the decision making, yet he refuses to allow them to participate. He does not invite them to working meetings, or asks for their input.
He has also stated that the Fair is under the authority of the Commissioners. This is his position in a nutshell, however misguided that statement is. He is in charge, and he answers to no one.
By Idaho Code Title 22, and The BOCC Rules & Responsibilities as written by the Idaho Association of Counties, the Fair board has specific responsibilities, as do the Board of County Commissioners.
The commissioners are not supposed to tell the board what to do or how to do it. That is not their “wheelhouse” as Chairman Bradshaw likes to spout. The commissioners appointed the board and now it is up to the BOCC to step back and let these volunteers do their jobs.
Title 22 states very clearly, “The county fair board shall not […] mortgage or otherwise pledge or encumber any of the real or personal property owned by the county and used for fair purposes.”
If the fair board were to accept this contested property, they would be accepting encumbered land, which could be argued violates state law.
The fair board is tired of the shenanigans from the 2 CommissionMEN. They want out of the mess these men have created. They never asked for this piece of property. They didn’t even ask for the grant to build an RV campground. They have not been a part of any plans for this project and were not part of the requests for money.
Due to these concerns, the fair board posted a notice to the community that made it clear:
Will this put an end to this months-long controversy? Or will Commissioner Omodt tell, yet again, how his family camped at the fair and needs to do so again?
After being shot down on 2 separate plans for that select piece of property, both RV campground and an ice rink, will Chairman Bradshaw come up with some new use that is dire and vital to the county… and is not a justice center?
Let’s not hold our collective breath that these 2 ding-dongs will give up on taking this land from the people and denying us a justice center.
