Morrow County commissioners reverse prior Boardman decision, vote to site new courthouse annex at Heppner fairgrounds

The Morrow County Board of Commissioners voted at a public meeting to repeal its Nov. 6, 2024, decision naming Boardman as the site for a new courthouse annex and approved locating the project at the Heppner fairgrounds using plans previously developed, with minor adjustments as needed.

The vote followed public comment, inter-commissioner discussion and a statement by Daniel J. Hill, presiding judge for the Sixth Judicial District, who said the chief justice “designates the principal location of the courthouse” and that that designation controls other statutory language on where court must be held. Hill told the commission a Boardman location had been important to securing support for a sixth judicial-district judgeship and associated state-funded staff, and warned that moving the annex away from Boardman could jeopardize those staffing gains.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the decision as a choice among competing county interests. Some commissioners emphasized Heppner’s status as the county seat and the county’s pledge to keep courthouse services there; others and the judge emphasized access to justice and the potential state staffing tied to a North‑County facility. The commission’s action changes the project’s formal site and directs staff to continue design work for the fairgrounds location.

Judge Hill told the board that locating the new court facility in Boardman had helped win support for a sixth judgeship and would have brought four state-funded staff positions to the North County. He also described caseload patterns to the commission, saying the district had relied on multiple locations and rotations of judges and staff to keep courts running across the district. In his remarks he said the chief justice’s designation of a principal courthouse location controls other statutory language and that, as a practical matter, the Boardman decision had been tied to the district’s request for additional judicial resources.

Commissioners who supported keeping the courthouse in Heppner said the county seat status and prior public pledges weighed heavily. Other commissioners and some public speakers said most civil and criminal filings come from the North County and that Boardman would improve access for the majority of litigants; the judge made that case for the district. Commissioners also noted petitions and letters filed by residents on both sides of the siting question.

Formal steps taken: first the board voted to repeal the Nov. 6, 2024 motion that had designated Boardman as the annex site; that repeal motion passed. The board then approved a second motion to locate the courthouse project at the Heppner fairgrounds and to proceed using the previously prepared plans with “slight adjustments as they need to be made.” Both motions passed during the meeting; the transcript records the motions, seconds and that the motions carried, but the meeting minutes did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript excerpt.

What was not decided: the board’s vote sets the project site and allows staff to continue with design adjustments; it does not finalize project budgets, contract awards or construction schedules. Commissioners said minor plan adjustments would follow and that additional steps — including coordination with state partners about funding and staffing — remain to be resolved.

Next steps: staff will proceed with the fairgrounds plan and return with follow-up items as required, including any updates needed to reflect state participation in funding and any technical revisions to design or schedule.