Baker County Commissioners Clarify Ballot Language, Send Revision for May 19 Vote

A proposal that would create a county administrator position and shift Baker County to an administrator form of government will go before voters on May 19 after the Baker County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to send revised draft ballot language to the county clerk for review. The board acted Feb. 4, voting 3-0 to move the measure toward the May 2026 primary ballot.

If approved by voters, the amendment would create a new county administrator job to oversee day-to-day county operations while keeping the three commissioner seats as elected positions. Under the draft structure, the three commissioners would retain sole authority to hire and fire the county administrator. Commissioners framed the change as similar to Baker City Council’s manager model, in which seven elected councilors are responsible for hiring a city manager.

The board directed staff and county counsel to prepare final ballot language and coordinate with the county clerk on placement for the May 19 ballot. The amendment as drafted proposes an effective date of Jan. 1, 2027 should voters approve the measure. Commissioners also signaled they will work with Human Resources and the county compensation committee on an administrator job description and pay plan if the structural change moves forward.

The move follows more than a year of internal discussion. Commissioner Christina Witham first publicly broached the idea of commissioners hiring a full-time administrator in January 2025. Commissioner Michelle Kaseberg mentioned hiring an administrator during a special session on Sept. 8, 2025 and later suggested including explicit ballot language about changing the form of government and hiring an administrator during a Jan. 21 meeting. The county’s May hiring of Shem Carlson as executive assistant was cited by commissioners as having alleviated some concerns about whether administrative duties were being handled properly.

Public comment has featured both procedural and legal questions about the change. Halfway resident Nora Aspy, who participated remotely at the Feb. 4 meeting, urged commissioners to make clear that the measure would change the county to a county administrator form of government and thanked the board for placing the decision with voters. “I really, really appreciate putting the trust in voters on this,” Aspy said. Earlier public comments and at least one written submission argued that language in Order 97-229, the 1997 amendment that converted a county court to a board of commissioners, contains a phrase “subject to election” that they say requires voter approval for subsequent structural changes. County counsel disputed that legal interpretation during meeting discussion. Commissioners and commenters also cited Oregon Revised Statutes 203.230, 203.240 and 203.035 in those discussions.

For residents, the immediate impact will be procedural and civic: the county clerk will publish final ballot title and language, and voters will decide whether to adopt the administrator model on May 19. If voters approve, the board’s next responsibilities will include drafting the administrator’s job description and setting compensation prior to the Jan. 1, 2027 effective date. Those materials and upcoming public meetings will offer the clearest opportunity for Baker County voters to review how the proposed change would affect county operations and local accountability.