Strafford County commissioners approve appointments, reschedule committee and move to nonpublic session on labor talks

Strafford County commissioners met on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, and took a series of procedural and personnel actions before retiring to a nonpublic session to discuss labor negotiations and contract matters.

The commission approved previously proposed actions from December after a motion, a second and a unanimous recorded vote. During the meeting, the body moved to appoint Janet Dilber as deputy treasurer; the transcript records the appointment as Item No. 2 and indicates support from Commissioner Leslie, who was noted as arriving a few minutes late.

Commissioners also announced a scheduling change: the special committee on long-term care, originally set for Jan. 9, was rescheduled to Jan. 16. A call for new business produced no substantive items—Speaker 2 specifically addressed 'Mister Bauer,' who had no new business to report—and the chair invited public comment; none was offered.

After public comment closed, the commission voted to enter a nonpublic session to discuss labor negotiations, labor relations and contract negotiation. The motion, which the transcript records as moved and seconded, was approved unanimously, and the commission retired to a nonpublic session to continue those discussions.

Speaker 2 opened the meeting with a New Year greeting: "Happy New Year to everyone." The public portion ended with the commission moving into nonpublic session; no further public actions or votes were recorded in the available transcript.

Next steps: the commission proceeded into nonpublic session on labor and contract matters. Any formal decisions arising from that session were not recorded in the public transcript provided.