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CPO Transition update

As you may have already read, the Citizen Participation Organization (CPO) system in Washington County will no longer be administered by Oregon State University’s Extension Service after early 2016. The system was set up 40 years ago when Oregon passed our historic land use laws. Goal One was citizen participation in land use planning, and in Washington County, the CPO system was the response.

The county Administration Office (CAO) is conducting a Transition Planning process, at the request of the Board of County Commissioners (BCC). Here’s the latest.

A consulting team has been hired to provide facilitation and conduct research concerning best and promising practices for community engagement nationwide. The team will include:

Solid Ground Consulting, based in Portland, Oregon. Joe Hertzberg, principal at Solid Ground, will provide facilitation support for the project. Hertzberg has led both large- and small-scale community engagement efforts for over 30 years, including work with school districts, city councils and county boards of commissioners throughout Oregon. He has also facilitated numerous public-sector boards, commissions, advisory committees and task forces. Hertzberg holds graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University and has been a member of the Yale faculty and an instructor in the Master of Business Administration program at Marylhurst University.

Portland State University’s College of Urban and Public Affairs. Research will be provided by Meg Merrick and Andrée Tremoulet, both research associates with PSU, regarding best and promising practices in the field of community engagement programs. Meg Merrick’s work has focused on helping communities make better-informed choices about their collective future using global information systems (GIS) and other visual and place-based tools. Merrick has earned a doctorate in urban studies and a master’s degree in geography, both from Portland State University. Andrée Tremoulet has extensive experience in neighborhood planning and participation, including work with Washington County’s Office of Community Development and the Aloha-Reedville Study and Livable Community Plan. Tremoulet has earned a doctorate in urban studies from Portland State University and a master of city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Transition Planning Team

The BCC is scheduled to hear about potential nominees to the project’s Transition Planning Team at their extended work session on April 7. With the Board’s approval, the Transition Planning Team will be charged with identifying options for the county to consider among a broad range of public participation models and strategies. The committee will include individuals currently involved in the program, professional community involvement practitioners, representatives from city, county and special district organizations, and individuals representing historically under-represented communities.

A web page on the Washington County site has more information and background on the transition. The public is encouraged to make comments or ask questions throughout the transition process. Community input will be gathered by sending email to cao@co.washington.or.us or by calling 503-846-8685.

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