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Bannock County adopts individual-review press-release approval process
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Summary
Public information officer Emma Iannacon proposed two options for approving press releases; commissioners favored individual review by email to avoid a walking quorum and asked staff to bring a resolution next week. Legal staff said issuing press releases under the proposed process does not create a policymaking quorum.
Bannock County commissioners voted to adopt a standardized press-release and digital-communications approval process that routes draft releases to each commissioner individually rather than delegating approval to the chair.
Emma Iannacon, the county’s public information officer, presented a two-option plan: either circulate draft releases via email to each commissioner for separate approval or delegate approval to the chair. "This essentially puts into writing what we've been doing for the past nearly five years," Iannacon said, adding the proposal clarifies steps to avoid a walking quorum.
Commissioners said the individual-email approach better avoids the risk of implying collective county action. "Anytime ... the word county is being used, it assumes or infers that we have made a decision," one commissioner said, arguing that individualized review would reduce misunderstanding.
A county staff member who reviewed the proposal for legal compliance said, "The act of issuing a press release isn't in and of itself a decision that will violate the open door because it's not a matter of policy," and recommended a process that includes department review for factual accuracy and an emergency bypass under the emergency operations chain of command.
The board voted to adopt the individual-review option and asked Iannacon and staff to prepare a resolution for the next meeting.
