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Citizen Participation Organization program in transition
By Virginia Bruce

A few weeks ago, we CPO 1 leaders received the following letter from the OSU Extension Service Staff who manage the CPO system for Washington County.

“…For 40 years, Oregon State University Extension Service has partnered with Washington County to support the program. Oregon State and Washington County Extension staff members have sincerely appreciated the opportunity to serve as contractor and steward of this important program…

“To best meet the CPO Program’s mission, respond to changes that have occurred over time, and plan for the future, OSU Extension has reevaluated its institutional strengths and role in delivery of the CPO Program. OSU Extension has informed the County of a decision that it will no longer serve as the administrator of the County’s CPO program. The program will transition from the OSU Extension Service over the next year, and Washington County will assume program administration.

CPO 1 boundaries.

“At this time, details such as a transition plan and timeline still need to be determined. CPO members, the Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI), the community at-large, and partners will be given ample opportunities to provide input. This transition will be made carefully and deliberately, including dialogue and a planning process that will ensure the CPO Program’s future success and continued longevity.

“Please note that daily operations remain unchanged. The program will continue in its current form and staffing, providing support to individual CPOs, the Committee for Citizen Involvement (composed of representatives from CPOs around the county), and the community at large, until a transition plan is developed and is approved by the Board of Commissioners.”

We in the CPO community are saddened by this, because many improvements to the decades-old citizen participation program have been made in the past few years. We are also concerned that the Washington County system not become a lapdog of the Board of County Commissioners, as it has in many Oregon counties.

When Oregon adopted its far-reaching land use laws (including urban growth boundaries) in the ‘80s, “Goal One” was citizen involvement. This has manifested itself quite differently around the state, with Washington County’s system a model of independence, if not always efficiency.

There is much room for improvement, including incorporating social media to reach folks who can’t attend monthly meetings. This was one of the suggestions we heard loud and clear at a forum during the December 2 CPO 1 meeting. (CPO 1 has a Facebook page, and everyone is encouraged to sign up and discuss local land use and other issues there.) We will publish a summary of comments from that meeting in the next CPO 1 Newsletter (sign up here) and discuss the transition again at our February meeting.

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