Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
———
OROFINO — The Orofino City Council adopted a fiscal year 2025 budget of $12,690,178, including more than $3 million in grants, during its meeting Aug. 27.
It deleted two items from the original budget of $12,841,548. The items removed were a code enforcement officer within the police department and new financial/administrative software. Employee appreciation was discussed and it’s planned to discuss a different format.
Adjusted fees were also approved. Of particular concern were sanitation fees with the 3.3% cost of living increase and moving to all carts for residences within city limits previously approved for Simmons/Nadl Sanitation. The city will not increase fees for the service this year to help keep costs lower.
The city has typically increased fees every few years to keep up with the increases in administrative fees involved. Councilor Loretta Stout voted “nay.” The other five members of the council voted “aye.”
Robert Simmons was in attendance and reiterated the need for the carts to protect the company’s employees both from exposure to human waste and chemicals and to lessen the need for them to lift the cans. They are getting trucks that will load the trash from the carts without employees handling them.
He did, however, verify that if there are elderly or disabled people that cannot get the carts to their pick-up area, his employees will assist them. Those who need this help just need to call and make arrangements with the city or the company.
A real estate sales agreement between the city and Orofino Community Parking, Inc., for the parking lot on the corner of Main and First St. (250 Main) was approved at a cost of $97,225. The lot was purchased by a coalition of people several decades ago to provide parking for the downtown area. Their object in selling it to the city at this point was to maintain it as a parking lot. Councilor Mike Gladhart voted “nay.”
An agreement between the city and American Pioneering Excavation for the pedestrian crossing improvements was approved. The city has a grant for the project and now has a contractor to do it.
A request for a special use permit to keep an RV at 12546 Hartford until January 2026 was referred back to Planning and Zoning when further information was presented by the owner. In addition to referring the matter back to P&Z, the council discussed a need to go back and look at the code, rather than it just be a blanket denial per code.
The owners are in the process of building and anticipate being done by January 2026. P&Z has recommended denying the request.
A request from L&M Holdings to build a duplex at 12276 Jerome was approved on the recommendation of P&Z.
— Nancy C. Butler, Clearwater Tribune (Orofino), Wednesday
Kooskia City Council: Curfew to be enforced; wastewater treatment plant overrun 2%
KOOSKIA — The Aug. 21 meeting of the Kooskia City Council opened with a public hearing on the proposed 2024-25 budget. There were no members of the public who were there to speak, and the budget, which totaled $7,764,350, was approved by the council.
Derek Probst, Merrick Co. project manager for the sewer and wastewater treatment plant work, reported the contractor, M2 Construction, has only the “punch list” of minor things that need to be ironed out. The work was delayed from the original completion date of June 18, primarily because of work on the generators.
“We are holding back (a little more than) $114,000 until the contractor has completed the punch list,” Probst said. “It is the hammer we have to put pressure on him.”
Probst also presented the “cleanup” change of order that reports all six changes of order that occurred during the project. The overrun cost for the project was 2%, or approximately $49,000. The change of order was approved by the council.
Mariah Miller of CEDA (Clearwater Economic Development Association) was present to report that the community block grant for improvements to the Kooskia City Park can be applied for in November, but the sewer/wastewater treatment plant project must be completed and a close-out agreement must be sent to the Idaho Department of Commerce. The close-out agreement was approved and signed, as were the performance, construction, environmental report and the final financial report. All were approved and signed by Mayor Tina Ulmer.
Miller said she will begin now for the November block grant of $245,000 (maximum) with a 50/50 match for the park. Professional services for the grant writing contract with CEDA was approved for $5,000.
Tom Eier, a Kooskia property owner, spoke to the council to ask for a variance to the city ordinance that says no trailer home more than 15 years old can be moved onto a lot. He had purchased a lot on Alley Street some years ago and recently a “good-looking trailer.” Unfortunately, he was unaware of the ordinance, and the trailer house is 30 years old. City attorney Kirk MacGregor said there is no provision for a variance in the ordinance.
Eier asked if it could be grandfathered in, but Ulmer explained it would have had to be on the lot before the ordinance was passed.
She added, “You may keep it nice, but once you sell it … that’s what we’re dealing with now.”
Eier understood that he would need to put a newer mobile home on the lot.
“I will resort to Plan B,” he said, “I just don’t know what it is yet.”
A Kooskia resident who received a property cleanup letter from the city reported to the council that most of the heavy stuff was out of there, and there were just a few cars left. He was asked if it could be done by the next council meeting Sept. 11; he replied in the affirmative, and the council agreed to allow him three more weeks.
On the same topic of nuisance properties, the owner of 203 Broadway was located and is living in Spokane. A nuisance letter was served by the Spokane Police Department.
— Lyn Krzeminski, Idaho County Free Press (Grangeville), Wednesday
