Commissioner will pay out of pocket for business expense

Jackson Co., Ore — A Jackson County Commissioner will pay out of his own pocket for an upcoming business trip as an investigation into his travel expenses continues.

Commissioners voted Tuesday to deny County funds to pay for Commissioner Doug Breidenthal’s entry fee to a leadership conference next week.

Fellow Commissioner Rick Dyer says the cost of attending the summit was $150 but the County decided that fee outweighed the benefits of attending the conference. Dyer says continued scrutiny into Breidenthal’s use of county funds may have played a factor in the vote’s outcome.

“Sometimes when certain facts are brought to light it does make you realize that maybe a little more strictly adhered to cost benefit analysis is warranted,” said Commissioner Dyer.

Commissioner Breidenthal is also attending an Association of Oregon counties meeting the same day which was approved by the county earlier this year.

After the county funds were denied, Dyer says Breidenthal agreed to pay the entry fee on his own.