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Board votes to terminate county DEIA committee; split vote highlights local debate
Summary
After a heated discussion, the board voted to terminate the county’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) committee; the motion passed with the chair and one commissioner voting to terminate and one commissioner opposed.
Deschutes County commissioners voted to dissolve the county’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) committee after debate about the committee’s purpose, relationship to Human Resources and whether the work should continue under a different structure.
A commissioner asked that staff who had participated in the committee describe accomplishments and the draft work plan; another commissioner objected to inviting staff into the policy discussion and said the board had received written background materials. Commissioners who supported continuation urged that the committee had helped improve language access, develop plain‑language communications, address accessibility for people with hearing and mobility impairments, and identify staff retention issues; they said some efforts responded to contract and grant requirements.
Opponents argued the committee’s functions could be handled through Human Resources or other existing structures and raised concern about the national political context around DEI terminology. One commissioner said the work should continue but not under the current committee label and that staffing and HR processes could absorb many functions.
The board took a formal motion to terminate the DEIA committee. The motion passed (two votes in favor, one opposed). Commissioner Chang recorded a “no” vote and the chair voted “yes.” The minutes show the motion was seconded and adopted during the meeting.
Why this matters: County staff and some commissioners framed the committee as an internal operational working group that improved access to county services and assisted departments in meeting state and federal contract obligations; other commissioners said similar goals could be advanced through HR or departmental policy without a board‑level DEIA committee.
What’s next: The board did not direct staff to hold a public hearing on the issue; staff were told to continue communication with the board and county leadership about how the underlying work will be allocated following termination of the committee.
