Victoria County officials said a new state law will force a change in their weekly meeting schedule and earlier agenda posting deadlines, and they scheduled a public budget hearing for Monday, Sept. 8. Judge (presiding) told the court “we will proceed with a Tuesday agenda posting” and set a 2 p.m. deadline on the day specified for submitting items for upcoming Monday meetings. The judge also said the county would continue weekly meetings despite the adjustment. The judge explained the change as a compliance measure with what was referred to in the meeting as “HB 15 22,” noting there is uncertainty in how the law is defined and applied. County staff were told the agenda for a Monday meeting will generally need to be published the preceding Tuesday, and specific internal deadlines — for the coming two meetings — were set as 2:00 p.m. on the publication day. The judge said the change is “a big adjustment” that will reduce the county’s ability to act as nimbly at weekly meetings. The judge added the county will discuss adapting procedures at an upcoming department head meeting and asked departments to provide feedback. Court members also reminded the public that the Sept. 8 session will be an open hearing on the proposed budget; the judge said the budget would not be finalized until later in the month and that the Sept. 8 hearing is consistent with local custom even though the county was adopting a “no new revenue rate.” The court directed staff to operate under the new Tuesday-posting approach while the county adapts its internal deadlines and workflows.
