Josephine County commissioners announce executive session on labor grievances and potential property transactions

Josephine County Board of Commissioners members opened a county administration workshop in April 2025 by declaring potential conflicts of interest and moving into an executive session to receive legal updates on labor matters and possible county real estate transactions.

The commissioners announced the executive session would cover an AFSCME grievance and a bargaining demand from the Federation of Oregon Parole and Probation Officers (FAPO) under ORS 192.660(2)(h), and several items listed under ORS 192.660(2)(e) including a potential county purchase of real property, matters concerning the Dimock Campus, county property at 210 Tacoma, and matters related to the sale of the Flying Lark. The board recorded the meeting time as 1:32 p.m. for the start of the executive session.

Why it matters: the items identified for executive session involve labor relations and real property matters that the board said required legal counsel’s presence and private deliberation. The commissioners also made on-record declarations of potential conflicts before adjourning to the closed session.

Commissioner Smith, identified during the roll call, said she would "declare it as a possibility of a conflict of interest," noting only the possibility because of her status as a Josephine County resident. Commissioner Barnett declared a potential conflict involving county property at 210 Tacoma, saying, "I do have a little bit of conflict... because I am part of that organization that rents it," referring to the Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol's occupancy of the building. An unnamed commissioner told the board they saw "a potential conflict of interest with agenda item 3 a as well as item 5 b," which the commissioner said "pertain to the county airport" and could affect them because of a commercial pilot operating out of Grama Staz Airport and a tenant relationship.

The board instructed accredited news media that they could attend the executive session but were specifically directed not to report or disclose deliberations from the closed session beyond the general subject matter announced. The chair also directed that recording devices be turned off before the room was cleared for nonessential attendees. The board stated explicitly that "no decision may be made in the executive session."

The transcript identifies the statutes cited for the closed-session authority as ORS 192.660(2)(h) for the labor matters and ORS 192.660(2)(e) for potential real property matters. The board did not take any public votes or make formal decisions during the open portion of the workshop; the announced action was to convene the executive session on the listed topics.

Following the executive session, the board planned to return to open session and welcome the audience back into the room, per the notice given to attendees and the news media.