Curry County commissioners changed up their meeting schedule, swapping their morning discussions for the evening.

This change goes into effect immediately. The Board of Commissioners’ next meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 19 — the third Thursday of the month.

The Board’s first regular meeting of the month will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“I got a lot of positive feedback about this,” Commissioner Brad Alcorn told his colleagues.

However Alcorn acknowledged that not everyone was supportive of the change. Mary Rowe, a Brookings area resident, said she applauded the decision to hold meetings at a time when those who work can attend, the decision excludes some residents from attending.

“What you may not realize is holding Board of Commissioner meetings in the evening would exclude citizens who rely on public transportation,” she said. “Public transit does not run in the evenings leaving them without a way home. I therefore suggest you schedule two monthly meetings, one in the evening and the other meeting during the day.”

Alcorn argued that he’s been trying to make things more efficient.

“Mary was concerned about public transit but the reality is we’re bringing those meetings to her,” he said, adding that Rowe was able to provide her public comment by phone. “We are going out of our way to accommodate the public’s voice and I want to continue to do that.”

Alcorn’s colleague Jay Trost said the number of people that came to weigh in on offshore wind energy in Curry County was impressive, but he pointed out that many people said they wished the meetings were in the evening.

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