Washington County News July 2025

June 30, 2025   Uncategorized

Board statement on DEI policies

Earlier in June, the BCC announced that it was considering rescinding the 2020 resolution that promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout the administration. The measure was tabled at the June 17 BCC meeting, and during the June 24 meeting, they issued this statement.

“We wanted to take a moment to address the community’s concerns with the agenda item that was pulled from the June 17, 2025 Board of Commissioners Agenda. The purpose of the agenda item being considered was to meet new conditions included in Federal Grants and Contracts. One aspect of that item was rescission of the county’s equity resolution.

“We want to be clear: we will not be rescinding, revising, or amending this resolution. Let us share our priorities and process that we will be undertaking: The County Administrator has retained a consultant to help the board, county staff, and community develop a path forward (including a Resolution and Order) that honors our value of inclusion, reaffirms the county’s commitment to advancing policies and programs in a lawful and non-discriminatory fashion.

“This effort builds upon the work that we have been collectively doing together to create a county and community that aims to be inclusive for all. Until we have this in place, we have paused the signing of all Federal Grants and Contracts. The county relies on $135 million annually in funding from the Federal Government to serve our most vulnerable communities.

“We anticipate bringing the proposed Resolution and Order forward at the Board of Commissioners Meeting on July 22. We want to thank our community and partners for weighing in on this important matter and reminding all of us of the importance this work plays for all of us.”

WCSO policies concerning ICE enforcements

Sheriff Massey has stated in the past, “As the Sheriff of Washington County, I am committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our entire community. Unless otherwise directed by law, the Sheriff’s Office will continue adhering to Oregon’s current sanctuary laws.”

Staff will not assist a Federal Immigration Agent or official in any other manner except that they may provide information that is available to the public, or in response to a subpoena signed by a judge (not an ICE official). Our jail policy states that jail staff will not allow federal immigration agency personnel or officials access to any part of a WCSO or jail facility that is not open to the public for purposes of investigating, detecting, apprehending, arresting, detaining, or holding individuals for immigration enforcement. Authorized access under this condition shall be limited to the jail sallyport and/or intake to transfer lawful custody in accordance with a court order or warrant signed by a judge.

Furthermore, a joint statement was put out by the Law Enforcement Council on this topic, and our policies give specific guidelines for releasing information. Our guidelines state that personal information on an adult in custody will not be released to a federal immigration authority unless an exception applies. Information that is not releasable includes: contact information, country of birth, custody status, release date, parole, probation, or post-prison supervision appointment times, or home or work addresses for the adult in custody. The exceptions are if we are provided with information pursuant to a judicial subpoena (not an ICE subpoena) or compulsory court-issued legal process, or to the extent and in the same manner as information is available to the public. 

If anyone has any questions, they can reach out to our public information officer at WCSOPIO@washingtoncountyor.gov.

Levies being considered for November ballot

During the June 24 BCC meeting, two tax measures were considered and approved for the November 4 election. Both would be effective from July 2026 through June 2031. Both are collected as part of county property taxes. The last increase for these levies was in 2020.

The Library levy is estimated to total $188,915,688 for the five-year period and has an estimated first year levy of $34.7 million. The proposed tax rate of $0.37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value would replace the current rate of $0.22. For a resident owning an average-assessed Washington County home, this tax rate would have an estimated first-year cost of approximately $128.99, or $10.75 per month.

The Public Safety Levy is estimated to total $329,360,931 for the five-year period and has an estimated first-year levy of $60.5 million. The proposed tax rate of $0.66 cents per $1,000 of assessed value would replace the current rate of $0.47. For a resident owning an average-assessed Washington County home, this tax rate would have an estimated first-year cost of approximately $230.09, or $19.17 per month.

In both cases, population growth leading to increased demand for services and reduced state and federal funding created the need for higher rates. Failure would mean decreased services.

The CDC Assessment Project

The Community Development Code (CDC) controls all aspects of land use in Washington County. It has been expanded and amended over the years. The Assessment project is an in-depth review and evaluation of Washington County’s land use regulations. The goal is to update the CDC for compliance with state requirements, remove unnecessary obstacles to housing development, and streamline the CDC so it is easier to use and administer.

Changes to the CDC will be recommended based on the findings of this review and informed by input from CDC users, including community members, developers, home builders, housing advocates, service agencies and County staff. Changes may include consolidation of redundant rules or standards; reorganization or consolidation of land use districts with very similar sets of rules and standards; updates to rules to ensure they are clear and objective; updates or removal of rules or standards that are unnecessary barriers to housing development, especially more affordable housing types; and modifications to code as required to comply with state law.

The project is expected to take about 15 months with the final CDC Priorities Report publicly available May 2026.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will meet four times throughout the project. TAC meetings are virtual and may be attended by community members. The first meeting was June 25. Learn more about the CDC Assessment Project and share your thoughts using the comment submission form.

Committee members are listed on the web page. Only one member represents the public involvement community. One member of the public who attended the meeting said it wasn’t conducive for public comments. Committee members have been advised not to share ongoing work. We hope that community engagement in land use issues will not be sacrificed for the sake of efficiency.

County audit findings and response

The Fiscal Year 2023-24 Audit Report was presented to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) at its June 24 Work Session. Findings included accounting errors and misstatements, internal control weaknesses, and instances of non-compliance with rules and regulations.

Auditors attributed the cause of almost all the findings to significant turnover and inadequate training of new staff. Instability and understaffing in the central finance team and the housing finance team staff has led to weak control environments. Without proper staffing levels and adequate training, timely reviews and reconciliations were not possible and resulted in significant errors. Findings of deficiencies can affect bond ratings, resulting in increased borrowing costs, along with impacts to public trust.

County administration reported that they were addressing the issues with increased, stabilized staffing, strengthened internal controls, and a review of financial policies, along with the adoption of an improved Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System that will provide more automated controls and electronic documentation. Board and staff agreed that employees should view the audit results as an opportunity to learn and improve, rather than as criticism. On June 27 the county announced that John Styer, who has been serving as interim Chief Financial Officer, has been selected as the permanent CFO.