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Chair moves Columbia County commissioners into executive session after approving rearranged agenda
Summary
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a rearranged agenda and immediately went into an executive session Wednesday morning; the chair cited state law and directed media not to report on the session’s deliberations.
The Columbia County Board of Commissioners approved a rearranged agenda and then moved into an executive session Wednesday morning, the chair said.
The meeting opened at 10:01 a.m. Jan. 21, 2026, when the chair welcomed attendees, led the Pledge of Allegiance and announced that the agenda had been rearranged. "We get an approval," the chair said, and after a second asked, "All those in favor?" Two voices responded "Aye," and the chair stated the agenda would move forward as presented.
Shortly afterward the chair announced the board would go into executive session. The chair cited state law on the record, saying, as the transcript records it, "Pursuing the ORS 1 and 2 dot quick 6 0 2 z to conduct delivery change with her phone theft needed to carry on labor negotiations." That citation in the audio is garbled; the chair otherwise described the session as related to labor negotiations and referenced the Oregon Revised Statutes as the legal basis for meeting privately.
The chair told the public that media and designated staff were allowed to attend the executive session but instructed other audience members to leave the room and to silence or remove phones. "Representatives of the news media are specifically directed not to report on or otherwise disclose any of the deliberations with anything said about these subjects during the executive sessions," the chair said. The chair also reiterated that "No decision may be made in executive session" and said the board would return to open session afterward to welcome the audience back, in person or virtually.
The transcript does not identify who moved or seconded the motion to approve the agenda by name, nor does it record individual vote tallies beyond two "Aye" responses. The executive session itself was announced on the record; the board gave no additional details about its expected duration or agenda items that will be discussed in private.
The board scheduled visitor comments for later in the public agenda and did not take public testimony prior to the executive session. When the meeting resumed, the board confirmed it would return to open session and re-admit the audience.
