Commissioner District Boundary Change Process Begins

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, February 02, 2022

Board appoints Joe Nelson to oversee reapportionment process

En español

Image represents the current boundary lines for commissioner districts.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners officially began the county’s process this week for redrawing commissioner district boundaries in light of population changes measured during the 2020 census.

Community members can view an interactive map of the current commissioner district boundary lines on the county's web page. The chair of the Board of County Commissioners is elected countywide.

Under the county’s Charter, a review of the population among the four commissioner districts must be made every 10 years following the U. S. Census Bureau’s decennial count. If the population of any one commissioner district is more than 105% of any other, new commissioner district boundary lines must be drawn. This part of the process is called “reapportionment.” At the end of the reapportionment process, the population of the newly redrawn districts must not be more than 103% of any other.

Although 2020 census numbers were available late last year, the county’s part of the process could not begin until Oregon’s legislative reapportionment process concluded. An Oregon Supreme Court ruling last November enabled that legislative process to take effect on January 1 of this year, clearing the way for the county’s process to begin.

Following the steps outlined in the Washington County Charter, the board appointed Joe Nelson, director of the Department of Assessment and Taxation, to oversee the population assessment among the districts. After receiving Nelson’s report, the board directed Assessment and Taxation to prepare a reapportionment plan for the board to consider later this year.

The remaining process steps in 2022 include:

• June 2022 – Proposal development
• October 2022 – Community engagement feedback
• December 2022 – Board receives reapportionment plan and considers adoption

The new district boundaries that emerge from the process would take effect in time for the 2024 election cycle.

More information can be found on the Commission District Reapportionment web page.

Media Contact: