Chair Catherine Harrington opened the meeting on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, and asked the board to adjourn into executive session to discuss exempt records and potential litigation.

Harrington said, "So at this juncture, I'd like to ask for a motion to adjourn to executive session for Clean Water Services pursuant to ORS 192.660(2)(f) and (h) for the purposes of discussing exempt records and potential litigation." The chair announced there would be a sequence of four executive sessions and that she would gavel in and out for each.

A commissioner moved the motion and another seconded it. Harrington called for a voice or raised-hand vote. "The motion carries unanimously 4 to 0," she said. The meeting then went into executive session for Clean Water Services. Harrington also noted that Commissioner Willie would join later because his video doctor's appointment was delayed.

Why it matters: Executive sessions remove deliberations from public view under state statute when the subject is exempt from disclosure, including certain records and litigation strategy. The board’s decision to move into closed session signals forthcoming nonpublic discussion about records or legal matters related to Clean Water Services.

What happened next: Harrington said she would read a brief statement at the start of the executive session; no further public business was conducted in the recorded excerpt.

The meeting proceeded into executive session with the formal motion approved and a 4–0 vote. No mover or seconder was named on the public record in the excerpt.