Roger Nyquist will chair the Linn County Board of Commissioners for his 21st year, after being elected Tuesday morning, Jan. 3, by fellow commissioners Sherrie Sprenger and Will Tucker.
Nyquist, 62, began serving as a Linn County commissioner in January 2001 and is in his sixth term.
At the first board meeting of 2022, the commissioners discussed rotating the chairmanship, but Tuesday chose to maintain the status quo with Commissioner Tucker as vice-chair. Commissioner Sprenger will chair the Linn County 4-H and Extension Service District, with Tucker as vice-chair.
Tucker will represent the board at upcoming Association of Oregon Counties meetings.
Sprenger, a proponent of rotating the chairmanship, said that all three commissioners have the experience and knowledge to chair the board and provide good service to the citizens of the county.
In other business, the commissioners:
♦ Welcomed new Sweet Home City Manager Kelcey Young to Linn County.
♦ Appointed John Kennedy III of Lebanon and Robert Snyder of Sweet Home as Justices of the Peace Pro Tempore for District 4.
♦ Designated the Albany Democrat-Herald, Lebanon Express and The New Era of Sweet Home as official newspapers for the purpose of legal advertising.
♦ Agreed to pay $2,680 from the General Fund to clear up a property tax issue for the City of Sodaville. Habitat for Humanity transferred four lots to the city in exchange for a single lot in 2014. Because the lots were not deemed tax-exempt, taxes and interest are owed for the year of the transfer. The city takes in only about $8,000 per year in property taxes. This action will clean up the issue.
♦ Appointed Assessor Andy Stevens as the county’s tax collector.
♦ Approved an intergovernmental agreement between the Linn County Road Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reduce wildlife-caused damage. The $12,500 agreement affects only road right-of-way areas.
♦ Sold two slivers of property at Ermine St. and 32nd Ave. in Albany by sealed bidding. One was 750 square feet and sold for $100 plus fees to Nancy and Robert Alexander. The other was 950 square feet and sold for $10 plus fees to James Wach.
– Alex Paul, Linn County Communications officer
Recently elected local officials were sworn in Tuesday morning, Jan. 3, during a ceremony held in the Linn County Commission’s meeting chambers at the county courthouse in Albany. From left are Linn County Clerk Steve Druckenmiller, Sheriff Michelle Duncan and Commissioner Will Tucker. Linn County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Thomas McHill said the process marks the end of campaigns and the beginning or continuation of public service. He said it is indeed something to be celebrated. McHill was assisted by fellow Circuit Court Judge Rachel Kittson-MaQatish and Municipal Court Judge Jessica Meyer.