County emergency declaration extended

BONNERS FERRY — On Monday, county commissioners extended Boundary County’s declaration of a local state of emergency through June 1.

Originally approved March 17, the declaration was set to expire Tuesday, April 14. The emergency declaration will remain active unless it is rescinded or extended further, depending on the impact of COVID-19 within the county, said Andrew O’Neel, director of Boundary County Emergency Management.

“The purpose of the extended emergency declaration is to continue to authorize the county’s provision of emergency aid and assistance under the Boundary County emergency operations plan,” O’Neel said. “It also keeps the door open to further aid from outside the county such as financial assistance to small businesses and, if needed, disaster aid from state and federal agencies.”

O’Neel said the extension of the state of emergency is not an extension of the county’s public health emergency order approved March 25, which affects operations of restaurants, bars, clubs, etc. That order is set to expire at midnight on Friday, April 17, unless county officials opt to rescind or extend it before then, he added.

While there are still no confirmed cases of COVID-19 within Boundary County, commissioners and other elected officials encourage area resident to continue taking necessary steps to minimize the spread of the virus as much as possible, O’Neel said.

In adopting the declaration of a local state of emergency in mid-March, Boundary County commissioners cited a number of concerns regarding the pandemic, including Gov. Brad Little’s state of emergency proclamation on March 13 and the potential threats of a public health emergency to affect the county’s ability to protect, maintain, and deliver critical services.

Following Boundary County’s declaration, Bonners Ferry Mayor Dick Staples approved a declaration of a local state of emergency for the city on Friday, March 20. The emergency declaration is per Idaho Code Title 46, Chapter 10, specifically Idaho Code 46-1011 which states is in order to “activate the response and recovery aspects of any applicable local or intergovernmental disaster emergency plan.”

The county declaration includes the Idaho Code 46-1011 section as well.

“In practicality, a local disaster emergency declaration functions to increase liability protection for city employees and contractors responding to the COVID-19 crisis now and into the future, frees up restrictions on city purchasing processes in order to make emergency purchases to address the crisis (if needed), and makes the City eligible to have certain costs reimbursed by the federal and state governments,” Andrakay Pluid, Bonners Ferry city attorney, said at the time.

During a special March 24 meeting, Bonners Ferry City Council ratified the emergency declaration and supported the mayor’s proclamation. Additionally, the council decided to pass the ordinance at this time.

The mayor’s proclamation stands to close bars and restaurants, with restaurants having the option to provide and serve take-out meals only. The new rule went into effect Thursday, March 26, at 5 p.m.