Commissioner Barney accepts 2025 chairmanship after county’s rotating-chair order cited

At the Jan. 8 meeting, the Crook County Board of Commissioners followed a rotation policy in an existing county order to designate a chair for 2025. Commissioner Barney accepted the chair position after the board gave Commissioner Hermerich the opportunity first under the rotation; Hermerich declined.

County Manager Will Van Bacter read the operative paragraph from order 2024-13 at the start of the meeting, explaining that the board’s chair selection follows an annual rotation among the three commissioner positions. The order says the first commissioner may accept or decline; if declined, the opportunity moves to the second commissioner and then the third.

Why it matters: The chair presides over meetings and performs ceremonial and coordination duties that carry the public-facing role of the commission. Commissioners discussed whether the rotation system is the best long-term practice, with one commissioner noting examples from other counties and urging future review of the selection process and a clearer job description for the chair.

Board action and context: Will Van Bacter advised the board that the order adopted in March 2024 (order 2024-13) provides the selection process and that no additional vote was required to enact the rotation for 2025. Commissioner Hermerich formally declined, and Commissioner Barney stated he would accept the chair position for 2025. Commissioners verbally recorded assent.

Ending: Commissioners said they would discuss whether to review the rotating-chair process in future meetings and to consider creating a written job description for the chair’s public and ambassador duties.