SANDPOINT — After months of operating without a hearing examiner, Bonner County commissioners unanimously approved the appointment of Allan Songstad to fill the planning position during Tuesday’s business meeting. 

The role, which has been vacant since November 2025 following the resignation of prior examiner Jacqueline Rucker, will include the review of a handful of land use file types like subdivisions, variances, conditional use permits, planned unit developments, tier III home occupations, and special use permits.  

Songstad will be compensated for $275 per application heard, a $50 increase from the previous contract. However, planning director Kendra Smith noted Songstad’s extensive experience as an attorney, along with an increased cost of living since 2022, when the previous contract was approved and signed.  

Under Idaho Code §67‑6520, individuals qualified to fill the hearing examiner’s position include professionally trained or licensed staff planners, attorneys, engineers or architects.  

Songstad has practiced in both California and Idaho, has been an attorney for the last 50 years, and has lived in the Bonner County community for 27 years.  

“The Bonner County Planning Department and the Board of County Commissioners are pleased to announce the appointment of Alan Songstad to the Hearing Examiner position ... Mr. Songstad is a veteran when it comes to planning and land use designation,” Smith said. “He has served on the Planning Commission between 2022 and 2025 and helped draft many of the proposed amendments to Title 12.” 

The hearing examiner will review files in the same manner as the zoning commission, reviewing each application in a public hearing. If a decision is appealed, it will be reviewed by the Bonner County Board of Commissioners.  

Songstad will start immediately, with an aim to alleviate the increase in applications placed on the zoning commission, which have often required the commission to review files late into the night. At the time of publishing, hearings for the Zoning Commission are scheduled to the end of September due to the large number of applications.