COQUILLE — The new Coos County Board of Commissioners started its first meeting of the year the same way the former board ended 2008 — with an announcement.

County Counsel Jacki Haggerty announced the local Teamsters 223 union has filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the county over road department layoffs. Haggerty said she is treating the complaint as pending litigation, so the board will not publicly discuss the layoffs.

Before convening the open part of the meeting, the Board of Commissioners held an executive session to go over pending litigation and labor issues.

Commissioner Kevin Stufflebean had to leave early for a meeting in Roseburg, so board members shuffled the meeting agenda to make sure they all could hear what people had to say about recently announced layoffs.

They listened. They took notes. They thanked the people who spoke. But they didn’t comment.

The commissioners’ silence didn’t stop people from saying what they wanted to say. The lack of an open process before the Dec. 31 announcement and public safety were the main concerns.

Former road department foreman Don Beebe said the remaining crew cannot respond to emergencies and keep up with regular maintenance of roads. Storm-caused slides and downed trees on county roads could block emergency workers from getting to those in need, he said, if a short-handed crew couldn’t clear them soon enough.

“This is probably the worst time of the year to lay off two-thirds of your crew,” he said.

Sheriff Andy Jackson said his department, which cut a significant portion of its staff in 2007, would be called on to respond in emergencies. He urged the commissioners to reconsider.

“I would like you to consider the experience you have,” Jackson said. “When that experience is gone — I tell you it’s hard.”

Beebe said the county will either have to retain some of the workers or contract out work. He told the commissioners contracting to private companies could come with a heavier price tag because private contractors figure profit into their costs.

“That equals more dollars for what the road department could do for less,” Beebe said.

Former roadmaster Larry Van Elsberg agreed. For example, he said work on the county’s gas pipeline caused a slide in a remote part of the county. He said the project environmental manager suggested the road department could handle clearing the slide. Because it was an expensive job, road department managers got estimates on portions of the work from private companies.

“Our costs were always lower,” he said.

He also refuted Stufflebean’s contention the road department has overrun its budget in eight of the last 10 years.

“I was roadmaster seven of those years and always had a balanced budget approved by the Board of Commissioners,” he said. “Commissioner Whitty was one of those commissioners.”

Shawn Jennings, representing the Southwestern Oregon Central Labor Council, presented a letter criticizing the layoff action.

“The council is troubled by the way you made the decision,” Jennings read. “The layoffs were not on the board agenda. The decision was made on New Year’s Eve day without input from the public or workers.”

Beebe suggested the county ask for cost-cutting suggestions from its more experienced workers, or from himself or Van Elsberg before laying off employees.

“We’ve been there,” Beebe said. It’s never come to this.”

Van Elsberg suggested a better option would be to hire an independent consultant, who would be less likely to bow to political pressure.

“I really think they need to hire someone with credentials,” he said.

 Van Elsberg said he already has contacted a firm which provides public works consulting and referred the company, Public Works Management Inc., to the commissioners.

He said the department may need reorganization, but said those doing it should have sought more advice.

“Those people who made this decision are too few and too inexperienced to make a decision so important to so many citizens of Coos County,”  Van Elsberg said.

Commissioner Nikki Whitty said all testimony would go under advisement. Haggerty said if the board decides revisit the reorganization in a public meeting, proper notice will be given.