Housing Authority Board of Directors

The Housing Authority Board of Directors (HABOD) is made up of the members of the Washington County Board of County Commissioners plus two additional members: one member who is a resident assisted by the Housing Authority (Public Housing or Voucher program), and one At-Large position.

The Housing Authority of Washington County is the legal entity that owns properties; the Department of Housing Services is the County agency that operates the programs, works with developers and provides services to meet the housing needs of low-income people in Washington County.

Meetings typically are held the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00am and last 30-60 minutes. Agendas for meetings are typically uploaded to the Board of County Commissioners website the Thursday before.

Board meetings are Hybrid (In-Person and Virtual) and can be viewed on the County’s YouTube page.

Learn more about the HABOD Members and find links to agendas and minutes from their recent meetings.

Read more information on how to sign-up and submit public comment during a meeting.

Bylaws/Rules of Procedure

Board of Directors of Housing Authority of Washington County

Article I - The Authority

Section 1. Name of Authority. The name of the Authority shall be the "Housing Authority of Washington County".

Section 2. Office of Authority. The offices of the Authority shall be at such place in Washington County, State of Oregon, as the Authority may designate.

Section 3. Directors. Members of the Board of the Housing Authority of Washington County ("Board") shall be referred to as "Directors."

Article II - Directors

Section 1. Powers. All corporate powers shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the affairs of the Authority managed under the direction of a board appointed in accordance with the provisions of ORS 456.095.

Section 2. Directors. The Authority may have up to seven Directors. Up to five Directors shall be members of the governing body of Washington County, as elected by the voters of Washington County. Of the non-governing body Directors, one Director shall be a resident or participant who receives direct assistance from the Authority, and the other Director must reside within the jurisdiction of the Authority.

Section 3. Term. Directors shall be appointed for a term of four years, except that all vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term. A Director who fills such vacancy is only appointed for the duration of the unexpired term. Directors may, if reappointed at the discretion of the Washington County governing body, serve any number of consecutive terms.

Section 4. Standard of Care. A Director shall discharge the Director’s duty with the care, skill, prudence and diligence under the prevailing circumstances that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters would use.

Section 5. Attendance. A Director who has four or more absences during a rolling twelve-month period must meet with the Chair upon the Chair’s request.

If further absences occur within the subsequent rolling twelve-month period, the Chair and Vice Chair may meet to discuss with the designated governing body or appointing authority the possibility of removal due to neglect of duty under Article II, Section 9. An absence is deemed excused where a Director calls or emails notice of the absence to a designated Authority staff member.

Section 6. Leave of Absence. In the event a Director is unable to attend regular meetings for a term of three or more months, the Director must provide notice by letter or email to the Chair informing of the reason and duration. A copy of the letter shall be sent, or forwarded, to the appointing authority as well. Whether such extended absence constitutes neglect of duty pursuant to Article II, Section 9 is to be determined by the remaining Board members according to the individual circumstances of the Director’s extended absence.

Section 7. Vacancies. A vacancy in the board shall exist upon the death, incapacitation, resignation, or removal of any Director. The vacancy in the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment of a Director who has died, become incapacitated, resigned, or been removed. All vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired term.

Section 8. Resignation. A Director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Chair. A resignation is effective when delivered unless the notice specifies a later effective date. Once delivered, the notice of resignation may only be revoked upon approval of the Board.

Section 9. Removal; Hearing. A Director may be removed by the appointing authority from the Board for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or misconduct. A hearing shall be held to determine whether removal for cause is warranted. The Director shall not be removed until after the Director has been provided with a written notice providing the basis for removal at least 10 days prior to the hearing. The Director may appear at the hearing in person or represented by counsel. In the event of the removal of any Director, a record of the proceedings, together with the basis for removal and findings thereon, shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk for Washington County.

Section 10. Compensation. A Director shall receive no compensation for services but shall be entitled to the payment or reimbursement of expenses, including travel expenses, in the discharge of the duties of the Director, in accordance with standards and procedures adopted by the Authority.

Article III - Officers

Section 1. Officers. The Officers of the Authority shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair and Secretary.

Section 2. Chair. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Authority. The Chair is also referred to as the “Presiding Officer” in these Bylaws/Rules of Procedure. At each meeting, the Chair shall submit such recommendations and information, as the Chair may consider proper, concerning the business, affairs, and policies of the Authority. The Chair shall have the following duties and responsibilities:

a. In the absence of both the Chair and the Vice-Chair, the members shall vote to appoint a Chair pro tem who shall have, at such time, the authority to hold meetings and sign appropriate documents.

b. The Chair shall have a vote on each matter before the Authority. The Chair may second motions but shall not make motions unless he or she first relinquishes the position of Presiding Officer for the purpose of making such motion.

c. All decisions of the Presiding Officer shall be subject to review by a majority of Board members present upon motion duly made and seconded, which shall be a privileged motion.

d. When a matter is called for a vote the Presiding Officer shall, before a vote is taken, state the question before the Board in general terms and shall announce the decision of the Board after such vote.

e. The Chair, Vice Chair, or pro tem shall sign all documents memorializing Board action within 10 days after approval by the Board.

Section 3. Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair; and in case of the resignation or death of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall perform duties as are imposed on the Chair until such time as the Authority shall elect a new Chair.

Section 4. Secretary. The Secretary shall be the Executive Director of the Authority and, as such, shall have general supervision over the administration of its business and affairs, subject to the direction of the Board. The Secretary shall be charged with the management of the housing activities of the Authority. No Board member shall be eligible to hold this office.

Section 5. Clerk of the Board. The Clerk of the Board (“Clerk”) shall keep the records of the Authority, shall act as secretary of the meetings of the Authority and record all votes, and shall keep a record of the proceedings of the Authority in a journal of proceedings (Completed Board packets) to be kept for such purpose, and shall perform all duties incident to this office.

Section 6. Additional Duties. The officers of the Authority shall perform such other duties and functions as may be required by the Authority.

Section 7. Election or Appointment. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall be the Chair and Vice­-Chair on the Board of County Commissioners.

Article IV - Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meeting. In order to transact Authority business and fulfill its obligations to the public, regular meetings of the Housing Authority Board may be held each month as follows:

a. On the fourth Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
b. On any other Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., if necessary to make decisions that, in the Board's judgment, cannot reasonably be held to the fourth Tuesday.
c. On each day of the work week, other than Tuesdays, if necessary.
d. If the date of a regular meeting is a legal holiday under the laws of the State of Oregon, such meeting shall be canceled unless specifically rescheduled by the Board pursuant to this section.
e. Changes in the schedule of regular meetings shall be made at least 20 days before the date of such rescheduled meeting.
f. All Board meetings shall be open to the public unless otherwise provided by Oregon Public Meetings law.
g. Actions of the Board at regular meetings are limited to the posted agenda.

Section 2. Special Meetings. The Chair of the Authority may, when it is deemed expedient or upon the written request of three Directors of the Authority, call a special meeting of the Authority for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the call. The call for a special meeting shall be delivered to each Director of the Authority, or shall be mailed to the business or home address of each Director of the Authority at least two days prior to the date of such special meeting; except that where the purpose of the special meeting is to amend the By­laws/Rules of Procedure, in which case there must be at least seven days written notice prior to said meeting. At any special meeting so called, no business shall be considered other than as designated in the call. Public notice of a special meeting shall follow the same procedures as a regular meeting, described in Section 7 below.

Section 3. Emergency Meetings. In the event of an actual emergency, a meeting may be held upon such notice as is appropriate; provided, however, that the minutes for such a meeting shall describe the emergency justifying deviation from the regular notice procedures.

Section 4. Quorum. The powers of the Authority shall be vested in the Directors thereof in office. A majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting its business and exercising its powers and for all other purposes. When a quorum is in attendance, action may be taken by the Authority upon a vote of a majority of the Directors present.

Section 5. Order of Business. At the regular meetings of the Authority the following shall be the order of business as noted by the Agenda to include:

a. Roll call.
b. Public Communication
c. Consent Agenda

i. Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting
d. Proclamation/Presentations
e. Public Hearings
f. Action
g. Public Communication (5-minute opportunity)
h. Board of Directors Announcements
i. Adjournment

Section 6. Manner of Voting. The vote on all questions before the Authority shall be by voice vote unless otherwise called for in the motion.

Section 7. Notice and Agenda. Notice stating the time and place of all meetings and containing an agenda of all scheduled actions to be considered shall be posted at least 96 hours prior to the hour of the meeting in a conspicuous place in the County Public Services Building with copies available to interested persons unless the meeting is a special or emergency meeting.

a. The order of business at all meetings shall be determined by the agenda unless modified by the Presiding Officer.

b. Any member of the Board shall have the right to have an item placed on the agenda at any meeting by written request to the Chair.

c. Any item may be taken out of order by majority vote of Board members present.

d. Those items on the agenda that are considered routine shall be acted upon according to the written recommendation by a single motion and vote at a place specified on the Consent agenda provided. However, any Board member may request to remove a Consent Agenda item for discussion and acted upon separately in the order appearing on the regular agenda. Those items acted upon under the heading "Consent Agenda" shall appear in the Minutes in the normal manner as individual items. The following matters shall not be placed on the Consent Agenda: adoptions of budgets, adoption of goals and objectives, public hearings, and any other matter which, in the judgment of the Secretary, is considered nonroutine.

Section 8. Motions and Resolutions and Orders.

a. All resolutions shall be in writing.

b. If a tie vote results from a member's absence or abstention, that item shall be continued to the next regular meeting of the Board or special meeting to which notice of such items has been duly given.

c. Items may be continued to any subsequent meeting upon majority vote. A motion to continue an item shall specify the date or event upon which continuation is to be based.

d. Resolutions and Orders shall become effective upon being signed or 10 days following Board action, whichever occurs first.

Section 9. Communications from the Public

a. Oral communications at regular meetings or special meetings: The Board shall provide an opportunity for communications from the public in the following manner:

i. At the start of the meeting, comments are limited to two minutes per person and the duration of the public comment period shall not exceed a maximum of 10 minutes total. No comments on items on the agenda scheduled for a public hearing are taken at this time.
ii. At the conclusion of all regular business, comments are limited to five minutes per person and a maximum of 30 minutes total. This period may include communications on agenda items for which no period for public testimony was provided.
iii. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Presiding Officer may limit the time and number of persons appearing in the interest of facilitating the orderly business of the Board, unless a majority of the Board votes otherwise.
iv. Except for the public comment period provided in paragraph a.i. above, testimony on non-public hearing items shall be permitted only by invitation from the Presiding Officer and on such terms as specified in the invitation. Unless the Presiding Officer directs otherwise, testimony under this section is limited to two minutes.

b. Public Hearings: Unless the Board by motion declares otherwise, public testimony shall be provided as follows:

i. Two minutes per individual and five minutes for groups
ii. The Presiding Officer may require that testimony be provided under oath and permit staff to inquire of the person testifying.

c. Rules Governing Communications with the Board

i. Time shall be kept on all public comments. The time clock will be stopped during Board comments or responses to Board questions to provide the speaker the full time allotted. Time limits shall not be accumulated, reserved, or saved from one person or group to another.
ii. A person seeking to address the Board must do so from a designated location after first gaining recognition of the Presiding Officer, and must state their name or the name of the organization they represent for meeting record. The Presiding Officer may terminate any unduly repetitive, irrelevant, or disruptive testimony.
iii. Documents should be provided to the Clerk for distribution to the Board. Unless bulky or oversized, 10 copies should be provided. Documents introduced generally cannot be returned.
iv. Persons desiring to use presentations must consult with the Clerk in advance of the meeting. The Clerk reserves the right to deny or limit the use of such presentations unless the Presiding Officer invites the use of such presentations.
v. Board announcements shall be exclusively restricted to Board members.

d. Work session: Work sessions, retreats, and other such meetings are limited to discussions among members of the Board and staff, unless a person is invited by the Chair to appear and participate.

Section 10. Public Meeting Law. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the Authority shall comply in all respects with the Oregon Public Meetings law as codified in ORS chapter 192.

Section 11. The Board may schedule Executive Sessions as allowed under ORS 192.660.

Article V - Use of Travel and Expense Funds for the Board

Section 1. Approval. Travel and expense funds of the Board for any given fiscal year shall be approved annually in the budget.

Section 2. Division. Funds appropriated annually for Board travel and expenses shall, to the extent practicable, be available proportionately among all Directors during any given fiscal year.

Section 3. Travel Authorization. Overnight or out of state travel by any Director, except the Chair or Vice-chair, shall be first approved by the Board.

Section 4. Reports. The Secretary shall periodically throughout the year report to the Board the amount of travel and expense funds expended and/or obligated by each Director to date.

Section 5. Release. Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to limit or prohibit any Director from releasing or otherwise making available all or part of that Director’s proportionate share of Board travel and expense funds for use by any other Director or Directors. In such cases, the Directors(s) releasing the funds prior to their actual use or obligation shall inform the Secretary of those arrangements.

Article VI - Publication of Bylaws/Rules of Procedure

Section 1. Availability. These Bylaws/Rules of Procedure shall be filed with the Recording Division of the County Department of Assessment and Taxation and shall be available to the public for a reasonable fee, designed to recover actual costs, and as adopted by the Board.

Section 2. Copies. A copy of these Bylaws/Rules of Procedure shall be provided to each Director and shall be available at all regular and special meetings of the Board.

Article VII - Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to Bylaws/Rules of Procedure. These Bylaws/Rules of Procedure shall be amended only with the approval of a quorum of the Housing Authority Board of Directors at a regular or a special meeting.