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Commissioners pause monument resolution after tribal history dispute
Summary
The Board declined to move forward with a proposed resolution setting monument guidelines after an attorney and board members warned the county should not adjudicate competing historical claims between tribes.
Washington County commissioners voted not to proceed with a resolution that would establish rules for placement of a monument after county legal staff described a dispute between two Indian tribes over historical facts.
The county attorney told the board that when monuments or historical markers are placed and contested, the county risks becoming the arbiter in disputes. "I indicated this board and I would not be determinator determiner of whose history is correct," the attorney said, urging the board to hold off on any monument resolution.
Board members agreed that the county did not want to become embroiled in contested historical claims. One commissioner moved that the county not proceed with the monument resolution; the motion passed and related agenda items (7.6 and 7.7) were withdrawn.
County staff said the board's intent was to provide opportunities for local history to be displayed, but with competing claims the attorney recommended pausing action until clearer guidelines for monuments are developed or brought back later for board consideration.
