Josephine County commissioners hold executive session on potential dismissal of IT and emergency management director

The Josephine County Board of Commissioners met May 26, 2026, and entered an executive session under ORS 192.660(2)(b) to consider the dismissal or discipline of the county’s Information Technology and Emergency Management director. Chair Ron A. Smith called the executive session at 2:31 p.m. in the Board of Commissioners Conference Room.

Commissioner Colene M. Martin later told the board in open session that the board had received an update from legal counsel regarding a pending litigation matter related to the personnel issue. The executive session ended and the meeting adjourned at 3:17 p.m.; minutes of the closed session were filed separately.

Attendees listed in the record included all three commissioners — Chair Ron A. Smith, Commissioner Colene M. Martin and Commissioner Gary L. Richardson — and Nikole Guzman as recorder. The record also names attorney Sean Ray of Barran Liebman as representing Josephine County, Michelle Shaw, the county’s Human Resource Director, and Chrissy Ewald of the Daily Courier.

The board did not announce any formal vote or public action related to the personnel matter in the open session. No additional details about the content of the executive session were disclosed in the public minutes; the county cited the ORS statute authorizing closed deliberations on personnel matters. The transcript indicates the executive session lasted from 2:31 p.m. to 3:17 p.m.

The board’s next procedural step or any public filings beyond the stated minutes approval were not specified in the record.