Boards and Commissions Vacancies - Spring 2017

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Per Board of Commissioners procedures, the County Administrative Office will solicit applications from individuals for a six-week period. Staff will keep the Commissioners apprised of applications received and of approaching deadlines.

As specified in the revised "Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Process," there will be an opportunity for the Board to discuss appointments at a worksession prior to scheduling any formal action.

Budget Committee – 1 position available now

Description:  Reviews the proposed county budget submitted by the budget officer each fiscal year.
Members: Board of Commissioners plus five residents of the county; each Commissioner/district is allocated an appointment; the representative does not need to reside in the Commissioner’s district
Term: 3 years
Contact: Mary Gruss, Chief Finance Officer
(503) 846-8811

Civil Service Commission – 2 positions available after 05/31/2017

Description:  This Commission is responsible for ensuring the proper administration of the Civil Service Act, which includes the areas of classification allocation, testing, appointment, and protection of employee rights. Commission members also serve in an advisory role for the County's affirmative action program.
Members: Five members
Term: 2 years
Contact: Steve Sanford, Human Resources Manager
 (503) 846-4472

Columbia Pacific Economic Development District (Col-Pac) – 1 position available now for a citizen at large

Description:  The Columbia-Pacific Economic Development District (Col-Pac) is a private non-profit organization established to assist in diversifying and strengthening the economy and livability of Northwest Oregon. The District covers all of Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook counties and the western part of Washington County (including Banks, Cornelius, Forest Grove, Gaston, and North Plains).
Col-Pac’s mission is to promote and sustain healthy communities in the district through retention, diversification and expansion of the economic base. The goal is healthy and thriving communities. A strong and diversified economic base that provides family-wage jobs is a significant component and contributor to healthy communities. Col-Pac's economic development activities focus on blending the natural resource-based industries in the region with new economic development opportunities that historically have not been part of the area's economy.
As an economic development district, Col-Pac provides capacity building, coordination and establishment of basic economic development foundation building tools for NW Oregon.
Members: Governed by a 17-member volunteer Board of Directors, Col-Pac consists of local public and private leaders including representatives from county commissions, cities, ports, the private sector, workforce, and the minority community. Col-Pac also has a seven member Loan Administration Board that oversees the District's Revolving Loan Fund. 
Term: 2 years; effective March through February
Contact: Sia Lindstrom, Senior Deputy County Administrator
 (503) 846-8853

Housing Advisory Committee – 1 position available after 03/31/2017

Description:  Providing affordable housing in Washington County is a formidable job. Nine representatives from real estate, banking, building, agriculture, employment, and public housing and neighborhoods help the Housing Services Department and the Board of Commissioners with this task. The Committee assists the Board of Commissioners by making recommendations on countywide housing policy issues as well as policies affecting operations of the County’s four core housing programs. 
Members: The Housing Advisory Committee consists of nine members representing various interest groups. These include Housing Authority rental assistance program participants, elderly & minority, agricultural/farm worker community, real estate or finance, social service organizations, legal, and two at-large members.   
Term: 3 years
Time Commitment: 2 - 4 hours per month
Meetings:  Meetings are held on the 4th Thursday of each month from 9:00-11:00 a.m. The normal meeting location is the conference room of the Department of Housing Services located at 111 NE Lincoln Street, Suite 200-L, Hillsboro, OR 97124. Regular attendance at HAC meetings is important to the efficacy of the committee, and no more than three consecutive or four total absences per year are generally permitted. Committee members receive a monthly packet of information about a week prior to the meeting.
Contact: Val Valfre, Director of Housing Services, (503) 648-4755

Northwest Area Commission on Transportation – 1 position available now for Citizen at Large

Description:  The Northwest Area Commission on Transportation (NWACT) is an advisory body chartered by the Oregon Transportation Commission. NWACT addresses all aspects of transportation (surface, marine, air, and transportation safety) with primary focus on the state transportation system. NWACT considers regional and local transportation issues in northwest Oregon that affect the state system.
NWACT plays a key advisory role in the development of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which schedules funded transportation projects. NWACT establishes a public process for area project selection priorities for the STIP. Through that process, they prioritize transportation problems and solutions and recommend projects in their area to be included in the STIP.
There are 28 seats on the NWACT representing local governments, ODOT, Port members, public transportation providers, and citizens-at-large from Clatsop, Tillamook, Columbia, and western rural Washington counties.
Members: Two Citizen-At-Large representing western Washington County (including Banks and Gaston), selected by the county’s commissioners. Members are non-elected citizens selected from private interests including but not limited to freight, trucking, bicycle, pedestrian, public transportation system, public interest advocacy groups, environmental, land use, local citizens, business, education, minority organizations, public safety providers, non-profit organizations, etc.  
Term: 2 years
Contact: Sia Lindstrom, Senior Deputy County Administrator
(503) 846-8853

The application deadline is March 7, 2017 or open until filled. Applications may be obtained by visiting the Boards and Commissions website.

Boards, committees and commissions advise the Board of Commissioners on matters of interest to people who live and work in Washington County. Committees themselves do not pass ordinances to establish policy; their purpose is to study issues and make recommendations. Commission members are volunteers appointed by the County Board of Commissioners. In many cases, members must be residents of Washington County. Serving on an appointed board or commission is a great way for Washington County residents to participate in decisions that affect them and to learn more about how local government works.

Media Contact: