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Commissioners appoint three members to Deschutes County Vector Control District amid governance concerns
Summary
Following a review of complaints and governance practices, the Board of Commissioners appointed three directors to the Deschutes County Vector Control District and discussed expectations for improved transparency and budget committee participation.
The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners on June 23 took action to fill vacancies on the Vector Control District board after a lengthy discussion about governance, public access to records and the district's budget process.
County Counsel Dave Doyle summarized legal options and said state statute gives the county authority to remove and replace district directors in certain circumstances. "You have the ability to remove directors from that board if you feel there’s cause to remove them," Doyle said. He recommended the commissioners use judgment in how they engage with the district to resolve operational and governance issues.
Members of the district's existing board, including Rodney Decoff, district president, said staffing departures earlier had left the board with only a small number of members and that remaining members had maintained operations. Several residents and at‑large participants described concerns about board practices, including the short advertisement and hiring of a district administrative employee and limited public participation on the district's budget committee.
After discussion, commissioners moved to fill two immediate vacancies and later considered a third seat. The board recorded votes to appoint and reappoint local candidates; the record in the meeting shows the board approved appointments and the motion carried with affirmative votes from the commissioners present. Commissioners asked new and current board members to improve public access to financial information and to consider publicly recruited members for the budget committee so community members can review tax and expenditure issues.
County staff clarified terms: the seat filled by one appointee will run only for the unexpired term of the vacated seat and will expire on the previously scheduled term end date.
Why it matters: Vector control districts levy taxes and manage mosquito and other vector services. Commissioners said they aimed to preserve continuity of operations while strengthening governance and public transparency around budgets and hiring.
