Board adopts new approach to a long-standing community engagement program

A new approach to one of Washington County’s longest-standing community engagement programs was approved by the Board of County Commissioners today, updating a nearly 40-year-old program for providing public input to the county government using a more inclusive and less resource-intensive model.

The county plans to organize the existing Community Participation Organization (CPO) program across four geographic areas, one for each board-member district. The new program, which will focus on the services of the county government organization, will eventually be given a new name and will exist within a variety of community engagement avenues available to the public currently.

“All voices within our growing, diverse and vibrant community deserve to be heard,” said Washington County Board Chair Kathryn Harrington. “The board’s action today helps us stay committed to that value by updating one community engagement channel among the county’s many channels – including advisory committees, town hall meetings, open houses and others.”

“I appreciate the board’s willingness to make these changes in support of our stretched staff, in compliance with state mandates and within our limited resources,” added Harrington.

Under the new program, county staff will work collaboratively with program participants to set agendas and facilitate meetings every other month, creating a more accessible and consistent engagement environment within the county’s constrained budget.

In addition, the new approach will designate the Washington County Planning Commission as the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) as required by Goal One of Oregon’s land use planning rules. This same approach is used by most county governments in Oregon to ensure that the public has the opportunity to be involved in the entire land use planning process.

The modernized approach to what was once called the CPO program comes as staff capacity has been exceeded over time and as the Washington County government continues to face constrained budgets, including substantial general fund reductions over multiple fiscal years. The new program approach was shaped by public input provided throughout the fall of 2024. An online survey was conducted over a two-month period, yielding 203 responses. County staff presented elements of the proposed changes to various CPOs and the CCI from September to December 2024. An in-person listening session was held in October, followed by a virtual session in November 2024. Final revisions to the board’s official direction to staff, called a resolution and order, were made after a public hearing earlier this month.

Transitioning to the newly adopted community engagement program will happen throughout 2026, starting with an “all-CPO” meeting this spring. The current program will pause over the summer, allowing county staff to establish the programmatic support needed to launch the new approach in the fall.

More information about the transition and the current CPO program can be found on the Washington County website.