• Cornell Road Recovery Housing Open House
• Garbage rate increase is under review
• County’s proposed budget preserves critical services 
• County Auditor releases 2026 Audit Schedule
• CWS water releases make Tualatin River a year-round resource

Cornell Road Recovery Housing Open House

Wednesday, June 17, drop in anytime from 5:30-7 pm, Lenox Elementary gymnasium at 21200 NW Rock Creek Blvd.

The Housing Authority of Washington County purchased the former DoubleTree Hotel, located at 15402 NW Cornell Rd, to provide recovery transitional housing, starting in mid-to-late 2026. Stations at this Open House will focus on specific topics, particularly safety and other key elements of the program, which continue to be the top areas of interest for neighbors. The open house style allows people to self-select the topics they want to learn about and provide feedback on the proposed Good Neighbor Agreement, and it helps us gather more detailed input than a single large-group discussion. Learn more on the Project Page. For additional questions or to be added to the interested parties list, please contact Homeless_Services@WashingtonCountyOR.gov.

Garbage rate increase is under review

The Garbage and Recycling Advisory Committee met in May to discuss changes to the way we are billed for garbage collection. The county sets rates for people in the unincorporated areas that are supposed to guarantee the haulers around 10% profit from their revenue. Currently many haulers are below that target. One of the solutions under discussion is to collect revenue by weight rather than by can size. Learn more about the county Solid Waste and Recycling Division here.

County’s proposed budget preserves critical services 

Public hearing

Tuesday, June 16, 11 am, Charles D. Cameron Public Services Building and online

The budget committees for Washington County, Enhanced Sheriff’s Patrol District (ESPD), Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD), North Bethany County Service District for Roads, and the Service District for Lighting each voted to approve their proposed budgets on May 20. 

Supporting documents, including questions and answers, streaming video links, and other information about these budget committee meetings can be found on the county’s budget web page for fiscal year 2026-27.

The Board of County Commissioners will consider adopting the approved budgets after public hearings at the board’s regular business meeting on June 16. More information about the meeting can be found here and guidance about testifying as part of the public hearing can be found here. 

See the complete press release here. Scroll down for the detailed version.

Budget details

Washington County: This budget committee approved a balanced $2.1 billion County budget that preserves essential services, prioritizes key capital investments and achieves necessary savings across the organization. 

ESPD and URMD: This budget committee approved a $60 million balanced budget for the ESPD, the county special district providing law enforcement patrol services in the urban unincorporated areas of Washington County. The budget committee also approved a $15 million budget for the URMD, the county special district providing urban road maintenance to the urban unincorporated area. 

North Bethany County Service District for Roads: This budget committee approved a balanced budget for $11.4 million to provide transportation improvements within a portion of northeastern Washington County that was brought into the urban growth boundary in 2002. 

Washington County Service District for Lighting Number 1: This budget committee approved a balanced budget of $4.2 million to provide the infrastructure needed for street lighting service in the urban unincorporated areas of Washington County. 

“We are grateful to be able to move forward with only minimal reductions while remaining mindful of the continued challenges and uncertainties ahead,” said County Administrator Tanya Ange. 

County Auditor releases 2026 Audit Schedule

Washington County Auditor Kristine Adams-Wannberg issued her 2026 audit schedule today. The schedule is the Auditor’s work plan of audits from April 2026 to March 2027. These audits assess County government performance and accountability.

Adams-Wannberg said, “Our community submitted many great topics. These ranged, for example, from public contracting to homeless shelters. In the end, I added an audit of Land Use and Transportation building permits because of high community interest.” 

These audits have started and will be completed in 2026: Public Records Application Identity and Access Management; Animal Services Cash Handling; Facilities Capital Invoice Payment Process; County Grants Management Pre-award Process Audits. 

The County Auditor conducts performance audits that provide accountability and improve County programs and operations. The Auditor is elected by Washington County residents and determines the programs and services to be audited.

CWS water releases make Tualatin River a year-round resource

Stored water from Hagg Lake and Barney Reservoir is essential to keeping the Tualatin River cool, healthy, and flowing. The arrival of warm and dry weather and a hot forecast ahead prompted Clean Water Services (CWS) to begin releasing stored water on May 12, 2026.  

The Tualatin River is a vital source of water for Washington County communities, crops, and companies. To keep the Tualatin River flowing and healthy in dry months, CWS releases cool water from Hagg Lake and Barney Reservoir. 

In an average year, CWS releases about 40 million gallons of water per day to maintain sustainable base flows, cool temperatures, enhance water quality, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. By late summer, more than 70 percent of the flow in the lower Tualatin River is from stored water releases from Hagg Lake and Barney Reservoir, and from CWS’ water resource recovery facilities in Forest Grove, Hillsboro, and Tigard. 

Knowing when and how much water to release is an intricate balancing act based on stream flow, irrigation and water supply withdrawals, weather, water quality conditions in the Tualatin River, and the amount of water in the reservoirs. A network of continuous monitoring data from the United States Geological Survey, Oregon Water Resources Department, and CWS helps determine when and how much water is released. CWS coordinates with the Joint Water Commission, the Tualatin Valley Irrigation District, the Oregon Water Resources Department, and the Lake Oswego Corporation to maintain stream flow. 

CWS was one of the original investors that built Hagg Lake’s Scoggins Dam in the early 1970s for agricultural irrigation, drinking water, and flow enhancement. With the Joint Water Commission, it expanded Barney Reservoir in 1998 to secure additional stored water.