Commission votes to deny ordinance updating county code to new congressional map after heated debate

Washington County commissioners engaged in an extended and contentious debate over whether to amend county code to reflect a new congressional district map that a judge ordered into effect. Legal counsel advised the commission that the judge's order is currently law and that the county must update its code by the state-mandated deadline for ballot programming. Several commissioners, including the Chair, argued that following the order amounted to an unacceptable overreach and proposed denying the ordinance as a form of protest.

Legal counsel (Jenna, speaker 14) explained the county's deadline and that failing to change the code would leave the county out of compliance with the court order. The Chair criticized the judge by name and said, "Judge Gibson ought to come down here and try to vote for this," as part of a broader critique of what the Chair called judicial intervention in legislative matters. After back-and-forth questioning and discussion about timing, the board motioned to deny the ordinance (item 9); the motion passed by voice vote. The transcript records commissioners emphasizing that other avenues — appeals or legislative fixes — remain available, and staff noted the need to program ballots consistent with the current legal posture.