Recommendation:

Reinstate a Policy by Board Order or Resolution that requires an agenda item cover sheet for all major decisions and votes made by the Josephine County Board of County Commissioners.  The policy should require the meeting packet item cover sheet to include, at a minimum, a description of the item, a brief writeup of the background of the item, and most importantly a Fiscal Impact Statement.

The Fiscal Impact Statement should include the estimated costs, revenues, or other estimated fiscal impacts in the future that could result from the approval of this item.  Whatever County Official bringing this item forward for a BCC decision should consult the County Finance office for assistance with estimating the Fiscal Impact.

Why is this important?  The Josephine County Commissioners have made several major decisions in 2025 without publicly discussing the fiscal impact of those decisions.  A fiscal impact statement or cost implication statement is a best practice to include on all major agenda items in front of a governing body to ensure all members understand the current or future impact of approving the item.  Many governments use a fiscal impact statement for governing body decisions, including the City of Grants Pass, Jackson County, and many other cities and counties.  Josephine County implemented this best practice in the past; however, it was eliminated over the last year.