SANDPOINT — In one of its longer-standing meetings, Commissioner Ron Korn was approved to sit as the county’s new chairman, taking over eight months after Commissioner Brian Domke’s appointment to the seat.  

The decision was approved in a two-to-zero vote, Domke and Korn voting in favor and Commissioner Asia Williams abstaining.  

Korn is expected to serve as chair for the remainder of the current board term, with a new chair to be appointed in January, along with the newly elected commissioners.  

The agenda item was brought forth by Domke, who stated that he intended for the duties of the chair to be shared equally among the commissioners. The idea was brought forth when Domke was sworn in as District 1 commissioner, where he indicated his intention to bring forth a recommendation to split the chair into eight-month increments, allowing each commissioner the opportunity to take on key responsibilities necessary for the chair.  

“It is my perspective that the BOCC chair position is one that creates additional duties and responsibilities for the elected board member filling that role, and that the position of chair should be shared equally throughout the duration of the two-year term of the board,” Domke said.  

Williams noted that she understood the intent behind the idea but felt that there was already a transition period built in when the board was newly seated for each term. She said during the meeting that keeping the chair consistent with each term provided consistency.  

The action item was passed quickly, with minimal discussion and only one public comment opposed to the transition. One resident shared concerns that Korn’s personal beliefs could conflict with his public servantship, citing a Facebook post Korn made indicating his lack of support for the county's fire levies, along with one of the fire commissioners. 

In other business news, the Bonner County Fair Board was unanimously approved to assume full responsibility for the fair’s dump station and associated water/sewer bill. At the start of fiscal year 2027, the board will also budget for and take responsibility for the separate water system/sewer system, along with the Avista gas bill for the fairgrounds shop.  

The RV dump station, according to fair manager Staci McBrayer, costs approximately $2,100 to maintain.  

“The board is looking to bring solutions to capitalize on the use. And we have recognized and found some units that we can install for a relatively decent price. Both in the dump station and a water fill station,” said McBrayer. “It is in our best interest as a fairground that manages an RV park to take this back on and provide this service for our campers.” 

The transition will allow the fair board to additionally explore cheaper service options for the separate water system/sewer systems, as the bills are combined from the city of Sandpoint. Although the utilities are combined, the fair board mostly only utilizes the water system portion of the utility during the summer months to water the arena.  

With approval to take on the utilities, the fair board will continue to seek ownership of maintenance, fees and ongoing oversight at the fairgrounds in future meetings.