SANDPOINT — Several discussion points at Tuesday’s Bonner County business meeting followed along the same premise: transparency of the county for the community.  

Commissioner Asia Williams started the discussion by bringing light to the budget workshops that have occurred so far this year. The workshops occur for each public department and district and allow commissioners to thoroughly review each budget line item of the applicable county entity. Holding in-depth workshops, Williams said, builds trust with the community as each budget item is discussed in detail.  

As part of the workshops, county entities are asked to fill out an in-depth spreadsheet of their budget with allocated line items dedicated to a specific spending category (e.g., travel or maintenance). Along with each category line is a description field where elected officials and department heads can describe where and how their funds will be used. 

Williams and Commissioner Brian Domke have dedicated extensive time to holding workshops, which Domke believes are essential for understanding spending habits and making the public aware of where county dollars are being spent. 

“We've asked them (county departments and districts) to think about the budget process differently than they've done for a long time. Change is hard, but people are adapting and coming forward with very useful information,” said Domke. “They're answering what seems like really simple, silly questions, but sometimes it leads to conclusions and conversations for a better way for us to track our spending.” 

Budget workshops will continue this week and the next, and will remain open to the public.  

In other county news, Williams brought forth an announcement regarding the administrative structure of the board of county commissioners. Due to light staffing and heavy workloads, the commissioner's office will be closed during periods of lull. Community members are encouraged to only come to planned events that are on the county schedule. The change in operating hours comes from an effort to make sure officials are not working overtime. 

Williams also announced a change to the vice chair, an outcome that was a result of several discussions between Williams and Domke last week. While Commissioner Ron Korn originally served as the vice chair, Williams shared Domke would assume the position to ease county scheduling conflicts and offer a more flexible schedule.  

The vice chair assumes the role of board chair when the chair is absent. 

The decision, according to Domke, came from the fact that Korn had been attending meetings remotely for personal reasons, making it difficult for the board to effectively host meetings if Williams was absent.  

“If the chair is not present physically in the room, then there needs to be somebody in the room that can chair the meeting,” said Domke. 

Korn, attending the business meeting via Zoom, shared his displeasure with the decision, calling it a “stunt” that had been “talked about behind closed doors.” Korn further told the community that he logged more in-office hours than both Williams and Domke. Nonetheless, Williams assured Korn that the decision could be reviewed when he was back in the office.