Commissioners agree to pursue ordinance change to give board flexibility on meeting days; extend temporary Friday order

The board discussed Josephine County Code 205.010, which prescribes regular meeting times and places, and directed staff to draft ordinance language that would give the board greater scheduling flexibility.

Staff explained that the existing code specifies days/times (examples in the code reference Wednesday meetings), which has required repeated board orders when the board needs to move its regular weekly business to another day. Commissioners asked staff to draft language allowing scheduled meetings by board order or at the call of the chair while still preserving public notice and access requirements. Because revising an ordinance requires a multi-step process and a delay before it takes effect, the board asked staff to prepare a short-term board order to continue the current Friday meeting arrangement for a limited period while the ordinance revision proceeds.

Nut graf: The change is procedural rather than substantive: staff stressed the county now televises meetings and must post agendas in advance, but commissioners want ordinance language that better fits current meeting practices and avoids repeated emergency orders.

Next steps Legal counsel and staff will draft ordinance language to present to the board for first reading and public notice; the board will also authorize a board order to extend the Friday meeting schedule in the short term while the ordinance is under consideration.

Ending: Staff will prepare a draft ordinance and a draft board order and bring them back for the board's consideration.