Board approves committee assignments and elects standing-committee chairs; public safety seat decided by secret ballot

After the orientation segment, the Richland County Board moved to agenda item 6 and approved committee-on-committees’ proposed supervisor and citizen-member placements for the 2026–27 session.

A motion to accept the committee assignments was made and seconded; the chair called for a voice vote and the motion carried. The board then proceeded to elect standing-committee chairs and vice chairs.

Community & Health Services: Supervisor Sandra Kramer was nominated by Supervisor Perry and seconded by Supervisor Welty; committee members cast a unanimous ballot to elect Kramer as chair and nominated Rod Perry as vice chair. "I'll make that motion to cast the unanimous ballot for Sandra Kramer," a committee member said during the vote.

Natural Resources: Supervisors nominated Randy Schoonover for chair and closed nominations; the committee cast a unanimous ballot to elect Schoonover.

Public Works: Mark Cooley was nominated and approved as chair; Dave Turk was nominated and approved as vice chair.

Public Safety: Two nominees — Supervisor Frank (online) and Supervisor Tiffany Thompson — required a secret ballot. After a short recess for ballots, Clerk Derek Kalish reported the count: "Of the 5 ballots cast, you had 3 for Frank and 2 for Thompson." The board declared Supervisor Frank the public safety chair; Thompson was later selected by unanimous ballot as vice chair.

The board confirmed the composition of the executive and finance committee and noted automatic seats and alternates where chair overlap occurred. No budget or policy items tied to the committee changes were adopted during the meeting.

The meeting closed after a motion to adjourn; the board voted in favor.