Douglas County commissioners changing meeting schedule to one day a week

Next month Douglas County commissioners will begin a trial run at meeting one day a week instead of their normal two days per week.

The commission will meet at 4 p.m. Sept. 2, which is a Wednesday, to handle administrative matters, and commissioners will wait until 6:35 p.m. that evening to consider items of more public interest, like zoning issues.

For several years the commission has handled its administrative items on Monday mornings and then has assembled again on Wednesday evenings to consider zoning and other items that would have more public interest.

“We’ll be meeting the same amount of time per week. It will just be on one day instead of two. It’s a more efficient use of staff time,” Commissioner Nancy Thellman said.

Craig Weinaug, the county’s administrator, brought up the schedule change because Thellman and commissioners Jim Flory and Mike Gaughan all took office earlier this year. The old meeting times were based on the schedules of the three former commissioners.

The commission made the decision during its meeting Monday morning. No meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday.