Pine Valley Local Administrative District Meeting
May 7, 2025
Attending Board Members: Frank Davie, Chairman; Tom Nielsen, Vice-Chairman (excused); Bob Dalley; Emily Neilson; Herman Nordbruch
Attending Assistants: Rick Peetz, Clerk; LaDawn Christensen, Treasurer
Attending Guests: Duane Krohn, Audrey Krohn, Gene Phillips, Steve Shakespeare, Allen Cannon, Rick Albee, Brian Davis, Rob Nodine, Kenya Hafen, Garrett Hafen, Claudia Davis, Dan Brown, John Lee
A. Welcome, Prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance: Frank ordered the meeting and offered the prayer, and Bob led the Pledge of Allegiance.
B. Pine Valley Overlay Zone
1. Request, Rod Savage – No show
2. Request, Kelsch Construction Ball Home, No show
Garrett Hafen requested a garage addition. Emily and the board asked questions and reviewed their information. Bob moved to recommend that the county approve a building permit, Herman seconded, and all were in favor.
C. April Meeting Minutes: Herman reviewed and approved the meeting minutes. Bob seconded the motion, and all were in favor.
D. Board Member Reports:
1. Pine Valley Activities: Frank mentioned a successful Cinco de Mayo community event.
2. Traffic Report: Bob noticed at least 15% more traffic than last year, and 7% of the traffic was speeding. Emily mentioned safety at the second cattle guard, a county issue that will be addressed.
3. Washington County Crime & Sheriff’s Report: Herman noted that Purgatory bookings and releases are within normal operational levels, with no change in population compared to last month. There was nothing significant to report in the county or in Pine Valley.
4. Five County Report: Bob stated there is nothing to report.
E. Update Policies and Procedures, Action Item – Emily
Emily proposed that we amend the Purchasing Policy. The two proposed changes (emailed to the board on April 12th) gives the board authority to implement autopay options for recurring expenses if the Clerk or Treasurer receives prior approval and changes the amount in section 10, which says board members and independent contractors may be reimbursed for goods and services provided they are budgeted and approved, from $3,000 to $2,000, keeping it in line with purchases from the fire department. Emily made the motion to update the PVLAD purchasing policy with the wording emailed on April 12th, Bob seconded, and all were in favor. These changes ensure that PVLAD policies remain in sync with PVSSD policies.
F. Community Watch – Tom & Gene Phillips: Gene reported a successful Community Watch meeting on April 26. One hundred and ten families are now part of the watch group. He printed new, updated maps for the block captains and the fire department.
G. Additional Sheriff’s Department Patrols – Herman reported negotiating a contract with the Sheriff’s Department for additional patrols during holiday weekends. Patrols will occur from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on each scheduled date, at a rate of $60 per hour for 65 hours, totaling $3,900. Deputies will be assigned to the shifts rather than volunteering, ensuring coverage. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or formal contract was suggested to be signed with the Sheriff’s Department. Emily motioned that the board formally approve the agreement, authorize Rick to adjust the budget accordingly, and authorize Herman to finalize the MOU. Bob seconded the motion, and all were in favor.
H. Clerk Report: Rick noted $276 in interest, annual registration for $25 for the state.
I. Treasurer Report: LaDawn presented the treasurer’s report and noted the funds’ reconciliation. Bob moved to approve both the clerk’s and financial reports, Herman seconded, and all were in favor.
Bob noted a quarterly financial review meeting with Rick and LaDawn. Duties are being separated, and time is being taken to review and balance relative to the safety of the resources.
J. Citizen Requests: Dwayne noted that dumpsters continue to be misused, stating that large appliances should be taken to the Central landfill. Bob suggested installing new signage and recommended hiring Star Sign and Banner. Frank will take this as an action item, and it will be placed on next month’s agenda.
Bob moved to adjourn the meeting, Emily seconded the motion, and all were in favor. The next scheduled PVLAD meeting will be on May 7, 2025.
Pine Valley Special Services District
Meeting Minutes
May 7, 2025
Attending Board Members: Mary Esther Putnam, Chairwoman (excused); Bob Dalley, Vice-Chairman; Allen Cannon; Emily Neilson; Steve Shakespeare
Attending PVSSD Assistants: Rick Peetz, Clerk; LaDawn Christensen, Treasurer
Fire Chief: Robert Hardy (unavailable)
Guests Attending: Rick Albee, Brian Davis, Claudia Davis, Frank Davie, Dan Brown, John Lee, Duane Krohn, Audrey Krohn, Rob Nodine
A. Welcome: Bob called the meeting to order.
B. April Meeting Minutes: Following review, Allen moved to approve the meeting minutes, Steve seconded the motion, and all were in favor.
C. New Webmaster – Emily
No updated information. Adding to the June agenda.
D. Updating Purchase Policy, Action Item – Emily
Emily proposed amending the Purchase Policy to allow the implementation of auto-pay options, which permits recurring expenses if the Clerk or Treasurer receives prior approval from the PVSSD board, and changing section 10 to lower the reimbursement without board approval from $3000 to $2000. The proposed amendments were emailed to the board on March 5, 2025. — seconded, and all in favor.
E. Fire Department Report
Rick and Rob presented the April report. The department responded to five calls: four EMS calls and one fire call. All calls, including the fire, were in Central, with one in Pine Valley. They reported 380 volunteer hours, 248 training hours, 8 equipment hours, 30 response hours, and 102 ‘other’ hours.
They reported that Marc Rose completed ICS (Incident Command Systems) training. Dwayne asked about the insurance rates; Rick mentioned that all training and equipment are used to improve ratings. Bob thanked the fire department for all their hard work.
F. Quarterly Board Financial Review – Allen & Bob
Allen reported a quarterly financial review meeting with Rick and LaDawn and recognized that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Separation of duties is taking place, and time is being taken to review and balance relative to the safety of the resources. Bob was impressed with the online QuickBooks program. This review will take place each quarter.
G. Clerk Report
Allen had one question: the line-item Billable Expenditure Revenue mentioned it was under income. Rick will review and report back. Bob asked about April’s donated funds; Rick explained that donations funded expenses. Bob asked about the positive and negative signs, which are not clear, and someone who is not an accountant may not understand.
H. Treasurer Report: LaDawn presented the Treasurer’s report and reconciled the information. Note that the assessment fees are collected at 83%. We are compliant with the transparency report. Allen approved the financials, Steve seconded, and all were in favor.
I. Citizen Requests:
Bob mentioned that board member training must be completed by June 1st, and completion records should be sent to Steve.
Steve mentioned receiving an extensive GRAMA request from an unknown individual. He suggested that the board charge an hourly fee for large GRAMA requests and add the charges to our policies. This item will be added to the June agenda.
No citizen requests.
Allen moved to adjourn the meeting, Steve seconded the motion, and all were in favor. The next scheduled PVSSD meeting will be on June 4, 2025.