SANDPOINT — After a prolonged conversation that has spanned the past six months, Bonner County commissioners have agreed to allow the First District Court officials to utilize a county-owned office space for its family court services.  

The decision was one of the first during Tuesday's business meeting and will allow the family court services to utilize office space during regular business hours. Commissioners will have until Dec. 31, 2026, to decide what office the court will be allowed to use, whether it's space in the county's administrative building on Highway 2 or its multi-use building off S. Division Avenue.  

Because the administrative building is currently being remodeled and offices are being moved around, commissioners voted to allow themselves until the end of 2026 to appropriately find space for family court services.  

Commissioners approved the request in a 2-to-1vote, with commissioners Asia Williams and Brian Domke voting in favor, and Commissioner Ron Korn voting against.  

Korn cited the current remodel as a concern for the approval, in addition to the potential risk involved with allowing the services to be performed out of the county building. Limited parking spaces were also a concern contributing to his dissenting vote.  

Williams said her approval stemmed from the county relying on family court services and that the county has a responsibility to keep the services available through parking issues and the remodeling process. Domke echoed similar sentiments. 

The need for office space stems from the county's prosecutor's office no longer having space for the drug court coordinator in its office due to reaching maximum capacity. In presenting the matter during Tuesday's meeting, District Judge Lamont Berecz said the drug court coordinator could be moved to where the family court services operate, moving the family services to a county-owned building.  

Domke agreed that the county's office space would be better suited to serve the family court services over the drug court coordinator from a liability standpoint. Individuals who are a part of drug court must have committed a felony, mostly related to drug possession, to qualify for the program. Korn, in the past, has cited liability concerns with hosting those services inside the county-owned building.  

The district's family court services aid families through a variety of topics, including family-law support, guardianship and conservatorship, small claims, name changes, and more. First Judicial District family court service manager Tara Hanning said that the ability to house family court employees at a Bonner County location could help expand services for residents, including parenting classes and mediation.