Community Participation Organizations

CPOs encourage and empower public involvement

Local CPOs provide a place for community members to: ​

• Get unbiased information about issues relating to local and county services.
• Engage with local government and agency representatives, elected officials, and community leaders.
• Work as a group in an advisory role to the Washington County Board of Commissioners.

Neighbors working together!

CPOs focus on the topics that affect how and where people live, such as transportation, parks and trails, housing and business developments, safety, public health, emergency planning, education, the environment and more. To participate, start by signing up to receive monthly updates about local CPO events and community engagement opportunities. Drop in at a CPO community meeting. Open to all community members, CPO meetings provide a place where ideas can be exchanged, local issues can be discussed, and neighbors can work together to affect change in their communities. Hosted by volunteer leaders, meetings include informative presentations by County staff, agency reps, local service providers and project managers which keep residents informed about what is happening in their communities. See CPO Meetings and Events page.

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A County-Community Partnership

Washington County CPOs are led by community volunteers and supported by the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (OEICE) to provide a forum for people to come together, share ideas, hold discussions on local issues, and work together to improve the quality of life in their communities. The investment of volunteer time and energy, the passion individuals have for making a difference where they live, and the collaboration of community and local government are the key elements of this program’s long history of success.

As a part of Washington County’s mission to “encourage meaningful participation in community activities and County governance”, the County puts community at the center of this unique program. Working alongside CPO volunteer leaders, the OEICE provides administrative support and guidance. OEICE program coordinators serve as liaisons to CPOs, working closely with leaders as needed on a range of activities in three areas: meetings and events, leadership recruitment and development, and general program support. The needs of individual CPO leaders vary in many aspects of CPO coordination.

Meeting and Event Preparation

Agendas:

• Offer topic ideas
• Work across departments and other agencies to assist CPO leaders in identifying and contacting presenters
• Help develop agenda content, including additional information of interest such as leadership recruitment, engagement opportunities or other related events
• Produce and finalize agendas.

Meeting promotion:

• Send email meeting notices containing upcoming meeting information, agendas, and engagement opportunities to CPO subscribers lists
• Post meeting details and agendas on the County's website and online calendar
• Produce communications including Nextdoor posts and Facebook graphics if applicable (Facebook pages are the sole responsibility of CPO leaders and are not connected to the County's Facebook page)

Support:

• Work with leaders on meeting logistics such as securing meeting venues, providing Zoom links and Zoom support for virtual meetings, providing hybrid meeting technology kits and trainings
• Collect and file meeting minutes, in-person meeting attendance sheets, and attendance information from Zoom for virtual meetings.

CPO Leadership

Recruitment:

• Work with CPOs to plan for upcoming CPO leadership elections
• Develop, email and post recruitment announcements on the County's website
• Update all formal documents, communications and subscriber lists with newly elected leadership.

Development:

• Work with CPO leaders to develop and host annual leadership trainings
• Provide trainings related to civil rights, discrimination and harassment free workplace, and other related topics that support centering all community engagement on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Program Support

Overall:

• Maintain subscriber lists for each CPO
• Provide CPO leaders with lists of community members who have opted to receive communications directly from them
• Provide phone and email support including the maintenance of standardized CPO leader Gmail addresses
• Promote the program in County communications
• Develop and maintain CPO Program webpages on the County's website
• Coordinate with the County's Department of Land Use & Transportation in the distribution of relevant information to CPO leaders.

Historical CPO Program Documents

R&O 80-108: Community Planning Organizations
This Resolution and Order (R&O) formally recognized Community Planning Organizations (currently known as "Community Participation Organizations") as Washington County's vehicle of compliance with the citizen involvement provisions of the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission Goal 1, the Washington County Comprehensive Framework Plan and the Washington County Community Development Ordinance. It established the philosophy, purpose, scope and structure of the CPO Program.

R&O 86-58: Citizen Participation Policy
Adopted by the County Board on June 3, 1986, this R&O established the County's Community Participation Policy which recognized that community participation is of paramount importance to the effective operation of county government, and with that, the County would ensure opportunities for community members to contribute to the decision-making process of their county government.

R&O 01-75: CPO Boundary Map
Adopted by the County Board on June 26, 2001, this R&O establishes new CPO boundaries and implements the process for changing boundaries in the future.

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If you have questions about how to connect with your local CPO, please reach out to: [email protected]​

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