BONNERS FERRY — Nancy Mabile has been hired as the grant writer for Bonners Ferry after a unanimous vote by the City Council at its Feb. 3 meeting. 

Mabile has more than 25 years of experience as a grant writer. 

“Nancy Mabile is a grant writer who has been very successful for over 25 years in providing services to the city that have yielded several successful grant applications,” Bonners Ferry officials wrote in a statement. “Nancy has expressed interest in working for the city as a contract employee to provide grant-writing services directly.”  

The city often applies for Community Development Block Grants for utility projects, which Mabile has worked on before. She has previously worked on and received grants for projects in Bonners Ferry. 

Mabile will work on an as-needed basis when city departments choose to pursue grants.  

She previously worked at the Panhandle Area Council as part of its community and economic development team.  

The decision came during a meeting that was briefly interrupted by a Zoom disruption. 

With just the item regarding Mabile on the Bonners Ferry City Council agenda, it promised to be a quick and straightforward meeting. While it was quick, it was not straightforward. An inappropriate video played by an unknown Zoom participant caused a short interruption during the Feb. 3 council meeting. 

The video played for about 10 seconds before city staff muted the feed and ended the Zoom session, restoring order. The participant was the only individual on Zoom except for the city’s attorney. It was unclear why the video was played or what the motivation was behind it. 

City officials said they will review procedures for Zoom meetings to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. 

The city’s public participation guidelines state that the council is committed to an atmosphere that promotes equal opportunity to be heard, civility, mutual respect, proper decorum and freedom from discrimination or harassment. 

After the display, one member of the public commented that the individual on Zoom probably did not have a job; otherwise, they would have better things to do. 

The city does not record meetings through Zoom but does via audio and makes them available to the public. It is unclear whether the city plans to investigate the incident.