CDA board meeting is set for Tuesday
By Terry Murry on Monday, June 24th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
HERMISTON – The Columbia Development Authority has its monthly board meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1 p.m. at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce. The board canceled its May meeting shortly after it received notification from Umatilla County that it would be taking legal action against the CDA if it did not rescind a 3-2 decision to remove the county and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation from ownership of land earmarked for economic development.
Both the county and CTUIR have been a part of the authority for more than 30 years. They are part of the group to which the U.S. Army returned the former Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot land. The other three members are Morrow County, the Port of Morrow, and the Port of Umatilla.
The meeting notice cautions that the board may go into executive session. While the public is welcome to attend the meeting, the public may not attend executive sessions. The media may attend but cannot report on the session unless the actions taken there become part of the record once the session is over. No decision will be made in the executive session.
There are three reasons why the executive session may be declared. One is to consider deliberations with staff members who are negotiating transactions related to the sale or lease of property. The second is to review and evaluate the performance and/or employment of the chief executive officer, other public officers, employees, and staff members of a public body. The third reason given is for the purpose of consulting with counsel regarding the legal rights and duties of the public body with regard to current litigation or litigation likely to be filed.
