• Changes ahead for County leadership
• Clean Water Services update
• Proposed county budget cuts $20.5 million to fill funding gap
• May election results
• Transportation survey
• Climate Plan survey

Changes ahead for County leadership

Board of County Commissioners (BCC) Chair Kathryn Harrington has announced that she will not seek re-election next year when her term is finished. Current District 2 Commissioner Pam Treece has begun her campaign to replace Harrington as Chair. That would leave her position open.There will likely be a primary in May 2026, and a runoff, if necessary, in November 2026.

Clean Water Services update

After facing scrutiny from the BCC and the public for lavish travel and meal expenditures, Diane Tanaguchi announced her resignation in May. Rick Shanley, chief engineer and water technology officer, was appointed to fill in as CEO while a national search is conducted for a permanent replacement. The five-member board of Washington County also serves as the board for CWS, the sewer and stormwater management agency for our area.

The agency had proposed a four percent rate increase for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. During the CWS Budget Committee meetings on May 9 and May 23, members of the Budget Committee and the public emphasized the importance of further discussion regarding the scope and timing of the proposed increase. Staff will present an analysis of the impact of different rate increases, from a four-percent increase down to no increase, at the BCC Work Session on June 3. CWS will return to the Board for a public hearing on June 17 when the Board will receive public testimony and vote on the proposed rates that will be effective July 1. BCC meetings, with links to live and recorded sessions, are listed here.

Proposed county budget cuts $20.5 million to fill funding gap

The county Budget Committee approved a $2 billion total budget for fiscal year 2025-26 during a public hearing on May 20. The county’s budget is required by law to be balanced (expenditures equal revenue).

This is the fifth year in a row that Washington County has experienced a general fund gap between projected revenues and expenditures. Over that same five-year period, Washington County has experienced the most population growth among the three counties that comprise the Portland metropolitan area, an indicator of the community’s growing demand for services.

The general fund is supported primarily by property taxes. Oregon’s restricted framework for generating property taxes puts Washington County at a disadvantage relative to its regional peers.

Details of the budget process and the projected cuts are in this news release. The Board of County Commissioners will consider adopting the approved budget after a public hearing on June 17.

May election results

Complete official results for Washington County are posted here. For Beaverton School District, Zone 1: Van Truong; Zone 2: Karen Perez-Da Silva; Zone 4 Sunita Garg; Zone 5 Syed Qasim. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Position 2 Clark Balfour; Position 3 Roy Rogers. Tualatin Valley Water District (all positions were unopposed): Position 1 Elliot Lisac; Position 2 Carl Fisher; Position 3 Jim Duggan. Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District (all positions were unopposed): Position 1 Pradnya Patil; Position 2 Alfredo Moreno; Position 3 Barbie Minor.

Transportation survey

Washington County Land Use & Transportation (LUT) is updating the County’s Transportation Safety Action Plan (TSAP) along with other departments and agencies, and in coordination with Metro and other regional partners through a federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant.

The Safe System Approach is a holistic way to reduce both the likelihood and the severity of crashes. People make mistakes that road engineering alone cannot prevent. This approach builds redundancy into the safety system. That way when one safety measure fails, there are others in place to prevent or reduce the severity of crashes.

Visit the online Open House to learn more about the issues and share your experience.

Climate Plan survey

Earth’s climate is changing. Partially because of natural weather patterns, but mostly because of human actions, temperatures overall are rising. Climate change can impact our health, but there are actions we can take to protect ourselves and our communities. The Washington County Public Health Department wants to hear from you!

Over the last year, Washington County has been working to shape our Climate Plan through community engagement in partnership with our diverse Washington County communities. As our final phase of community engagement comes to a close, we’ve developed a survey in hopes of reaching folks we may not have already reached through our focus groups and many other engagement sessions. This survey asks about experiences with climate change related topics, and what resources may be helpful, so that Washington County can inform our climate planning efforts.

You must be living in Washington County to take the survey, which closes on June 30. Survey participants can enter in a drawing for one of five $50 VISA gift cards. The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

For more information about how climate change impacts health, visit: Climate Change and Your Health.