(1) It shall be unlawful for this state, or for any county, city, school district, irrigation district, drainage district, highway district, or other subdivision of the state having power to levy taxes or assessments against property situated therein, to engage in the construction of any public works when the public health or safety is involved unless the plans and specifications and estimates have been prepared by, and the construction reviewed by, a professional engineer.
(2)  The provisions of this section shall not apply to public construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair work that is governed by chapter 12, title 42, Idaho Code; or public work that is insignificant, that is projects of less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in total cost, performed by employees of the public agency and performed in accordance with standards for such work that have been certified by a professional engineer and duly adopted by the public agency’s governing body including, but not limited to, the Idaho standards for public works construction and any supplements thereto, and only if a professional engineer determines that such public construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair work does not represent a material risk to public health or safety.