Josephine County commissioners disclose potential conflicts, recess to executive session on legal and cybersecurity matters

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners on a day in April 2025 disclosed several potential conflicts of interest and recessed into an executive session to receive a legal counsel update on several matters, including nonpayment of license fees, county property at 210 Tacoma, a notice of claim and county cybersecurity under ORS 192.660.

The session opened with disclosures. Commissioner Smith said he saw no specific conflict on the agenda but noted, “I see none on the agenda,” and added that a conflict “possibly could be” because he is a Josephine County resident. Commissioner Barnett said she saw no conflict for the meeting and told the board she is “a citizen of Josephine County, a veteran business owner, and a member of many clubs.”

A third commissioner, whose full name was not stated on the record, disclosed ties to airport operations and the county’s Mining Advisory Committee. That commissioner said the airport matter involved personal use as “a pilot and a tenant at the airport” and disclosed prior membership and service as chair of the Mining Advisory Committee at the time the committee’s recommendation was made. The same commissioner also identified an affiliation with the Civil Air Patrol, saying, “Civil Air Patrol, I’m part of that organization… I am the region command chief,” and noted that could be a potential conflict for an item listed as related to Tacoma.

After the disclosures, the board announced it would meet in executive session for a legal counsel update and identified four agenda items under ORS 192.660: nonpayment of license fees (ORS 192.660(2)(h)); county property known as 210 Tacoma (ORS 192.660(2)(e)); a notice of claim (ORS 192.660(2)(h)); and county cybersecurity (ORS 192.660(2)(p)). The board directed accredited representatives of the news media and designated staff to remain for the executive session but reminded them that they were “specifically directed not to report on or otherwise disclose any of the deliberation or anything said about these subjects during the executive session, except to state the general subject of the session as previously announced.” The board also stated that “No decision may be made in executive session.”

The meeting then moved to executive session. The board indicated it would return to open session at the end of the executive session and welcome the audience back into the room. The public record on the specifics of the executive-session deliberations and any follow-up directions will be limited to what the board publicly reports after returning to open session.