With the resignation of Harney County Sheriff Dave Ward taking effect at the end of this year, the Harney County Court has been in the process of appointing an interim sheriff until the November 2020 election.

Five individuals filed for the position, and a committee was established to interview the candidates and select the top three. The three candidates making the final cut were Dan Jenkins, Lucas McLain, and Chris Nisbet, all currently employed by the sheriff’s office.

At its meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4, the county court interviewed the three finalists, and then appointed Dan Jenkins to the interim position. The court noted that all three candidates were well-qualified and experienced, and it was a tough decision to select one of the three.

Commissioner Patty Dorroh made the motion to appoint Jenkins, and it was seconded by Judge Pete Runnels.

Before the final vote, Commissioner Mark Owens commented, “Dan will make a great interim sheriff, I think. If you would have said Lucas, I would say he’d make a great interim sheriff. If you would have said Chris, I would say he’d make a great interim sheriff.”

The motion passed on a 2-1 vote, with Owens voting nay. Jenkins will begin his new post on Jan. 3, 2020.

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Justice of the Peace Vicky Clemens attended to discuss her continuing legal education. She is required by statute to obtain 30 hours of educational programs every two years. Clemens said she attended a two-week national conference in June of this year and received a total of 49 hours of continuing legal education. She noted that the requirements are for lay judges, as opposed to judges who hold law degrees. Clemens added that she also attends a spring or fall judicial conference each year, if finances allow.

Clemens also provided the court with a financial report showing that the amount of fines and fees from the past fiscal year is down from previous years. When asked if she had any insight as to why the amount has dropped, Clemens said they ran the reports, and the number of Oregon State Police citations has dropped quite a bit.

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In other business:

• the court approved the first reading, by title only, of Ordinance 2019-92, in the matter of amending the Harney County Comprehensive Plan to recognize the Harney County Workforce Housing Road Map 2019;

• the court discussed the groundwater study being conducted in the county. The study was started in 2015, and data collection was completed last year. Since then, the team studying the groundwater situation has been interpreting the data, and a report is due by next year.

A two-day meeting will be held Thursday and Friday, Dec. 12-13, to provide information on the study. Owens said the first day will be a “tour” of the sites around the basin. On the second day, discussion will focus on the possible management scenarios.

Following the presentation of the data, the study moves on to peer review before a final report is issued;

• Brooke Nyman, probation officer for the Harney County Juvenile Department, introduced Laura Ellibee, who was hired by the department. She will fill the vacancy that will be created when Lori Cheek retires at the end of this year.

The next county court meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, in Judge Runnels’ office in the courthouse.