Community Participation Organizations Modernization Project

Washington County continues a multi-year process for modernizing the Community Participation Organizations (CPOs) and the Committee for Community Involvement (CCI), a group comprised of CPO representatives. Next steps include feedback from participants and the wider community.

The CPOs and CCI have served as important public involvement venues for the county since the 1970s. The program has operated in support of Oregon’s land use planning system and resulted in many positive and enduring contributions from volunteer participants. Over the years, the program’s mission has expanded beyond this original scope to include other areas for engagement, but the framework documents supporting the structure and boundaries of the CPOs and the CCI have remained relatively unchanged for almost four decades.

Building from work the Board of County Commissioners authorized in December 2021 to give the program a new vision and focus, five new guidelines have been proposed to anchor and refocus the program on its original purpose. These governance elements are also intended to align the CCI and CPOs with the Board’s current framework for seeking input from other advisory boards and commissions. The following changes will be explored with program participants and other members of the public:

1. Modernized language: remove outdated language that is gender exclusive or refers to “citizens” as opposed to “community members.”
2. Updated focus and scope: Restoring the original focus of the CPO/CCI program so that it advises the Board of County Commissioners primarily about land use and transportation planning within Washington County’s unincorporated areas. The CPOs and CCI would continue to provide opportunities for community updates on other topics.
3. Membership and eligibility: align the appointment framework for CPOs and the CCI with what the Board has established for other County advisory boards and commissions, rather than through current participant elections.
4. Program requirements: require compliance with Oregon Public Meetings and Records Law; clarify the minimum number of participants needed to activate, the duties of program leaders, procedures for making decisions and distinct roles of staff vs. participants.
5. Geography/boundaries: create new CPO boundaries that align with District Commissioner Boundaries, do not include areas inside incorporated cities, automatically adjust as redistricting and annexation occurs, and contain no less than one but no more than three CPOs per District Commissioner boundary.

Opportunities to give feedback

CPO participants and other community members are encouraged to provide input about these recommendations by taking an online survey and/or participating in two upcoming listening sessions.

• Take the survey
• Attend an in-person listening session on Tuesday, October 29 from 6-7:30 p.m.
  • Merlo Station High School located at 1841 SW Merlo Drive, Beaverton.
  • Interpretation services available upon request by contacting [email protected] by October 24.
• Attend a virtual listening session on Wednesday, November 13 from 6-7:30 p.m.
  • Zoom link at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87387258169
  • Interpretation services available upon request by contacting [email protected] by November 8.

In the coming months, staff will compile all of the input received and share it with the Board of County Commissioners. This feedback will inform the development of a new Board resolution and order to memorialize the CPO Modernization project, expected in the first quarter of 2025.