Commissioners dispute agenda-setting after resolution referral; chair defends prerogative

A dispute over agenda-setting and how resolutions are referred to committees surfaced near the end of the Legislative and County Affairs Committee meeting on Feb. 25 when Commissioner Hoffman said a resolution he introduced at the prior Board meeting had been referred to the committee but was not listed for discussion.

"We have a right as commissioners to introduce a resolution, and we have a right to have it heard," Commissioner Hoffman said, asking how to get the resolution placed on the committee agenda. The committee chair responded that a committee chair sets the agenda for that committee and that department-submitted or incomplete materials are sometimes withheld to avoid public debate on items staff consider "half-baked." The chair said, "The chair of the committee sets the agenda of that committee. That is how it works in any state government. That is how it works in any national government."

Commissioner Hoffman said he expected resolutions to be heard in public even if they might be voted down: "You either vote for it or you vote against it, but at least it's heard." Other commissioners said their resolutions have been treated similarly at times and urged direct communication between commissioners and the chair. The chair suggested commissioners call or discuss items in advance and noted the committee's discretion to manage meeting time.

The exchange did not result in a formal vote or written direction; Commissioners debated whether the committee should change its practice of vetting referrals before placing them on the agenda. The committee did not adopt a new rule at the meeting.

The matter remains open for further administrative clarification between commissioners and the committee chair.