The Oregon Court of Appeals has upheld Lincoln County’s short-term rental licensing program, affirming the County’s authority to regulate vacation rentals through a system first established in 2016 and strengthened in subsequent years. The August 12 ruling affirmed that the County’s short-term rental ordinances operate as business regulations rather than land-use decisions subject to the statutes cited by rental owners challenging the program. The court also reversed a lower court’s decision...

Lincoln County’s April 3 Board of Commissioners meeting ended with a discussion over a basic question of county governance: who gets agenda access, and on what terms. A discussion item titled “Agenda Topics — Commissioners Chuck and Miller” appeared on the posted agenda , but the packet gave the public no memo, no explanation and no list of topics to be discussed. When the item finally came up, the substance turned out to be almost entirely Commissioner Casey Miller’s written agenda requests....

Lincoln County Commissioner Casey Miller has asked a federal judge to restore his access to county offices, participation in management meetings, and the ability to submit agenda items, after being barred from these duties for several months. This legal dispute centers on the rights of elected officials and the representation of Lincoln County voters, which are key issues in Miller’s ongoing civil rights lawsuit. Miller’s lawsuit not only claims violations of his First Amendment rights, but...