The pubic is invited attend a public forum in the courtroom in the Washington County Courthouse at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11. 

The supervisors are considering moving all the county administrative offices now located in the Courthouse to Orchard Hill facility west of the County Sheriff’s offices and jail on Lexington Avenue.

After a delegation representing the downtown Washington business community  asked the Supervisors to consider other options in the downtown area at the April 4 Supervisors meeting, the  Supervisors agree to meeting in a public forum,

“The conversations went really well, in my opinion, with the focus highlighting the importance that the county services provide to our local economy,”  commented Michelle Redlinger, executive director of the Washington Chamber of Commerce.

 “We shared some overall concerns about the impacts that the loss of foot traffic will have in our downtown, let the supervisors know that there are many questions and concerns from the community, and we all agreed on having a separate meeting to allow for more dialogue so we can learn more from both sides of the decision on where to relocate county offices,” she commented.

“This is a great opportunity to share concerns, clear up miscommunication, learn more about the facts of the supervisors’ research, and work in a productive manner with the supervisors that represent each of u,” she added. “It is my hope from the perspective of the Chamber, that we can get a better understanding of their needs and look into the possibility of meeting those, without any detriment to other businesses and the local economy.”

“I strongly encourage you to attend this meeting,” she said in a letter to the business community.  “Even if you just feel comfortable listening, that is ok. The supervisors have been working towards this goal for two years and in order for us to properly share our concerns, we need to understand where they are coming from. 

“Similarly, the supervisors represent the voters in Washington County and if there are strong concerns about this decision, they need an opportunity to hear from us so that communication can flow evenly between the two groups,” she stated. 

“Please reach out to me if you have any questions and thank you for helping us continue to move forward in partnership,” Redlinger stated.