The Clinton County Legislature elected Mr. Henry as chairperson for 2025 and approved a package of routine organizational appointments and rules at its organizational meeting.

The legislature, meeting in organizational session, voted to appoint Mr. Henry chairperson; the motion to appoint was placed on the floor and received a second. Legislator Hall was named deputy chairperson. The Republican and Democratic leadership posts were filled at the same meeting, with Robert Timmons selected as Republican leader and Patty Waldron confirmed as Democratic leader. Law-and-order and administrative appointments approved included Gary Fabbler as assistant county attorney and Justin Myers as administrator of indigent defendants. The body also adopted its rules of order for 2025.

Those actions matter because they determine who sets committee agendas, represents the legislative majority and minority, and who handles routine legal and indigent-defense administration for the county for the coming year. The rules of order govern debate and procedure on every subsequent item the legislature takes up.

Most votes were routine and carried by voice vote after brief motions and seconds. On one procedural matter, legislators voted to waive Rule 13.2 to permit discussion about an appointment to the county television/director-type position; during that discussion members clarified that the formal appointment statute/resolution creates a one-year term but that the legislature has an informal understanding to rotate the position on a roughly two-year cadence. County staff and counsel said the legislature cannot legally bind a future legislature to that informal rotation, and suggested the understanding could be recorded "for the file" but not codified as a binding legislative rule. The record includes staff reference to a required background review by the Department of Criminal Justice Services for that appointment.

Committee assignments were not finalized at the meeting; the chair said assignments would be distributed in the coming weeks and that legislators should continue to run existing committees until replacements are announced. During staff reports members raised two operational matters: an outstanding issue at the county airport (advertising/service changes after May) and follow-up on a service question involving a contractor identified as Contour Air; staff said they were pursuing answers and would notify legislators once information is available.

Votes at a glance
- Resolution 1 — Appoint chairperson (Mr. Henry): motion and second on the floor; outcome approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 2 — Appoint deputy chairperson (Legislator Hall): motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 3 — Appoint Republican leader (Robert Timmons): motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 4 — Appoint Democratic leader (Patty Waldron): motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 5 — Adopt rules of order for 2025: motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 6 — Appoint assistant county attorney (Gary Fabbler): motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Resolution 7 — Appoint administrator of indigent defendants (Justin Myers): motion, second, approved by voice vote.
- Waiver of Rule 13.2 — Motion to waive to permit discussion of county television/director position: motion and second; waiver approved by voice vote; subsequent appointment and discussion followed and appointment was approved by voice vote (term noted in discussion).

Discussion vs. action
- Discussion only: committee assignment details (timing and replacements), airport and Contour Air service issues (staff to follow up).
- Direction/assignment: staff directed to notify legislators when additional information on the airport and Contour Air issues is available; chair to circulate committee assignments in coming weeks.
- Formal action: the resolutions and the waiver of Rule 13.2 listed above were approved by voice vote.

The legislature held brief staff remarks and expressions of thanks to colleagues; no contentious policy debates or recorded roll-call vote tallies occurred during the organizational meeting. Additional substantive board business and committee appointments are expected at subsequent meetings once committee rosters are finalized.