Baker County adopts administrative hearing procedures for civil penalties

Baker County commissioners on Wednesday approved Ordinance No. 2025-04, establishing administrative hearing procedures to assess civil penalties for violations of county ordinances. The board approved the ordinance on its second and final reading and voted unanimously to adopt it; commissioners said the text had been reviewed previously at a work session and no further changes were made.

The ordinance sets an administrative process for determining civil penalties for county-code violations rather than relying solely on court action. County staff opened the public hearing and solicited testimony; none was offered for or against the ordinance. After closing the hearing, a commissioner moved to approve the ordinance and the board voted “aye.” The commissioners said the ordinance information will be posted on the county website.

County officials said the board considered changes during a recent work session and that no additional amendments were made before the final vote. The board indicated the ordinance will take effect immediately after adoption and that citizens can review the ordinance online at the county’s website.

The action was purely legislative: the board adopted formal administrative procedures by ordinance. There were no recorded public objections, and staff did not report any additional implementation steps beyond posting the ordinance online.