At the Jan. 8 meeting the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners confirmed its regular meeting time at 8:30 a.m. on Thursdays and discussed options to move sessions to the county's Hilton auditorium on days when mask mandates or public attendance concerns make the regular conference room less practical.

Staff explained that moving to the Hilton requires extra setup by the commissioners' office and IT (audio/visual/Zoom) and recommended that members of the public who want to attend notify the commissioners' office in advance so staff can place the meeting in the larger space when needed.

The board also reviewed internal procedures for legal consultation and contracting. The commissioners recorded that, pursuant to the county's rules implementing RSA 28:1-b, only the commissioners are authorized to enter agreements on behalf of the county; departments must seek approval from their commissioner liaison before contacting legal counsel on new matters where practicable, and the commissioners' office must be notified for billing and reconciliation purposes. The board emphasized that new or revised agreements undergo risk review and legal counsel consultation and that any vendor refusal to accept legal/risk edits will bring the agreement back to the board for final determination.

On electronic signatures, the board confirmed that commissioners' electronic signatures are on file with the commissioners' office and that written consensus is required for each instance of use. Staff will keep an audit trail for instances such as agenda items, letters and certificates.

The board also clarified that the chair is responsible for approving time-off requests and biweekly timesheets for staff who report directly to the board, using the county's timekeeping software.