January 12, 2020 4:00 a.m.

The Roseburg City Council had its first meeting of the year on Monday night.

The evening began with the State of the City Address, given by Mayor Larry Rich. Rich chronicled the year in city government, discussing the work of various departments over the past twelve months.

Rich announced that commission chairs would remain the same with the exception of the Airport Commission which will now be led by Councilor Sheila Cox. Most current members of city commissions who had terms expiring asked to be reappointed, and councilors agreed to do so.

Rich spent a significant part of the meeting talking about the new Homeless Commission. The Mayor had already announced his picks for the commission. Six residents had emailed comments regarding the makeup of the group. Most wanted to see a wider cross section of the community involved including those who are or have been homeless themselves. Rich said the startup commission was “very unique” and needed members with specific skill sets to work on developing a camping site, shelter and tiny homes for those currently unhoused.

Some councilors agreed with the citizen comments and asked for additional members to be added at some point, which could address those concerns. Councilor Alison Eggers called Rich’s selections, “an all-star cast”. That sentiment was echoed by Sheila Cox and Bob Cotterell. Ultimately councilors unanimously agreed to the proposed makeup of the commission. Members will include: Gregory Brigham of Adapt, Shaun Pritchard of the United Community Action Network, KC Bolton of Aviva Health, Brent Eichmann of Umpqua Health Alliance, and at-large members Shelley Briggs-Loosely and Mike Fieldman.

Current Council President Bob Cotterell was elected to fill that role for another year.

The meeting last around seventy minutes.

Hear the entire State of the City Address on Inside Douglas County Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. on News Radio 1240 KQEN.