Board Meeting Guide

Everyone is invited to attend and participate in Washington County Board Meetings, which are held most Tuesdays at 9:00 a.m. in the Board Room at the Washington County Government Center, 14949 62nd Street North, Stillwater. (See the county calendar confirm the dates.)  The Washington County Board Room is disability accessible, and assisted-listening devices are available to the public.  Disability-accessible restrooms are located nearby.

All regular Board Meetings are cablecast live and rebroadcast on cable Channel 16 in the Stillwater area.  Additional government cable networks also provide cablecast Board meetings and are listed in local newspapers.

South Washington County Telecommunications Commission indexes and web streams all Board meetings to view online.  Locate "Washington County's Archived Meetings" near the bottom of their homepage, open the relevant agenda, and click on the agenda item you wish to view.

Meeting summaries and minutes are available online following each meeting.

Format

During Board meetings, the commissioners  develop policy, make decisions, and make or amend laws for governing the county. The agenda of upcoming meetings may be viewed online in advance.  The order of events are as follows: 

1. Roll Call of Board Members
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Comments from the Public
The Board chair invites citizens in the audience to share their concerns about subjects not on the meeting agenda.  The Board may ask the county administrator to prepare a response to any questions or concerns raised.  Citizens who wish to speak need to fill out a comment card before the meeting and give it to a county staff person.
4. Consent Calendar
The Consent Calendar covers routine administrative subjects.  These items are reviewed by the commissioners and the county administrator prior to each meeting.  An item may be pulled by a commissioner for discussion at a later time.
5. Departmental or Program Items
County departments and community organizations report items to the Board, present awards, or ask for Board approval or direction on a county action.
6. General Administration
The county administrator presents county business needs, such as contracts for services, to the Board.
7. Commissioner Reports
Each commissioner reports on his or her recent activities and asks questions of  county staff.  Any resulting required action is scheduled for a future Board meeting.
8. Adjournment
Following the meeting, a workshop may be scheduled for the Board, county staff, and others to discuss pending projects and programs and to receive updates.

Public Hearings

Public hearings, which are separate items of business on the agenda, give citizens the opportunity to express their opnions and solutions to the Board on county issues.  Notice of the public hearings is published in the official county newspaper, the Oakdale/Lake Elmo Review, at least 10 days before the public hearing.

Typically, the process leading to a public hearing includes neighborhood meetings and a review by one of the county's citizen advisory committees. Peresons wishing to speak during a public hearing must fill out a request card prior to the Board meeting and give it to a county staff person.

Public Hearing prodedures
•  County staff introduces the public hearing subject
•  Board Chair opens the hearing to the public
•  Speakers from the public make presentations
•  Board Chair closes public hearing
•  Commissioners discuss the public hearing subject
•  Commissioners take action or may schedule a public hearing continuation date; the date and time is announced or published in the county's legal newspaper, the Oakdale/Lake Elmo Review

Executive Sessions

Executive sessions are meetings that are closed to the public.  State law allows such meetings on a limited range of subjects, such as actual or threatened litigation or labor negotiation strategy.  These sessions may occur after a Board meeting.  A report on any action taken is made at the next regular Board meeting.

Terms

Resolution: A formal statement that expresses the policy of the Board or directs certain types of action
Ordinance: A law enacted or amended at a required public hearing; an ordinance may be repealed or changed only by a subsequent ordinance or amendment
Table Action: When an agenda item is removed from immediate consideration and definitive action, usually because additional information is needed

Respectful Behavior

Washington County is committed to respectful behavior in the Board room. No name-calling or abusive language is permitted. Disrespectful behavior may result in being asked to leave the Board room. Comments from speakers may be curtailed by the Board chair if the speaker is overly argumentative, redundant, or repetitive.