The Douglas County commission meets in the historic courtroom on the second floor of the old county courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

The new Douglas County Commission elected 1st District Commissioner Mike Gaughan as 2017 chairman Wednesday at its annual reorganization meeting.

A new chairman was assured with the departure of 2016 chairman Jim Flory, who chose not to run for a third term on the commission. His successor, 3rd District Commissioner Michelle Derusseau, joined 2nd District Commissioner Nancy Thellman in voting for Gaughan. She then voted with the new chairman to elect Thellman as vice chair.

Douglas County Clerk’s Office records show Derusseau and Thellman are rarities as female commissioners. The most recent women to serve as commissioners before them were Beverly Bradley, who represented the 3rd District from 1977 to 1985, and Nancy Hiebert, who represented the 1st District from 1983 to 1993.

“We’re not ground-breakers, but it’s still neat,” Thellman said of being part of a two-woman board for the second time in the county’s history.

Moving on to the short agenda, commissioners approved the participation costs of $1.45 per linear foot and a $60 administrative fee for those rural Douglas County residents wanting dust-control chemicals applied to gravel roads in front of homes. Douglas County Public Works Director Keith Browning said the linear-foot charge was increased 5 cents from 2016 to cover an increase in material costs. It was the first price increase since 2009, he said.

The county is now taking applications for treatment, Browning said. There will be a deadline, as yet undetermined, in early March before the county starts bidding on materials. Residents who apply after the deadline will be assessed a $15 late charge. No applications will be accepted four days before the county opens bids for materials, Browning said.

About 75 residents took advantage of the program last year, Browning said. About twice that many took part before the county raised prices in 2009, he said.

The dust-control chemicals will be applied in early or mid-May and again in mid-June, Browning said.