Commissioners move to ‘reset’ advisory boards; airport and budget panels to reapply

The Board of Commissioners discussed a series of resolutions to “reset” appointments to multiple county advisory bodies, starting with the Illinois Valley Airport Advisory Committee and the county budget committee.

Commissioners said the county’s roster management and record-keeping of advisory boards had become inconsistent and that reissuing openings and asking current members to reapply will align terms with each body’s bylaws and allow for staggered appointments. The chair said the process is intended to preserve institutional knowledge by staggering new terms rather than having all members’ terms expire simultaneously.

Director-level staff said some advisory groups — notably the rural planning commission — are governed by state statute (ORS) and therefore require a different administrative process; staff will return with a legal review explaining how to reset those bodies without violating statutory requirements. For airport advisory committees, county staff acknowledged departures and lapses in participation and supported a reapplication and reappointment process accompanied by reissued charters and clearer minute-keeping requirements.

Timing and process: the packet contained draft resolutions to remove existing appointments and reopen positions for reapplication; staff indicated the airport advisory reset would take effect April 1 for Illinois Valley and that some resets (for other bodies) could be effective immediately if approved at the weekly business session. Commissioners asked staff to publicize openings, encourage current members to reapply and present revised charters and minutes procedures when bringing the resolutions forward.

Ending: Commissioners said they do not intend to reduce advisory boards’ authority but want clearer appointment cycles and role descriptions. Staff will schedule the resolutions for the board’s weekly business session and prepare application information for prospective members.