Who to Call

We have compiled this directory of useful contact information for local agencies and other resources. If you would like us to add more contacts and topics, just ask us! info@cedarmillnews.com

COVID-19 Information

Before you go to any of the sites listed here, be sure to check if they are open. Many businesses are closed while the shelter-in-place order is in effect. However, employees may still be responding to the telephones or web interface.

Impact on Master Gardener Program

Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the Master Gardener volunteer program has suspended all operations including phone, email, and walk-in services. For your gardening questions, try OSU’s online Ask An Expert service. An online, on-demand vegetable gardening class is also available.

Impact on pets

For information on how COVID-19 affects pets and pet owners, as well as service impacts on the Washington County Animal Services, visit this link to the Washington County website.

Impact on recycling programs

Most recycling businesses are still providing curbside pickup, but the drop-off services may be temporarily suspended.

Impact on Washington County Offices

Except under specific circumstances, Washington County is requesting that the public avoid visiting any county building with the hope of meeting with county personnel during the organization’s emergency response to the new coronavirus.

Animals

Here are some contacts for dealing with animal problems, both domestic and wild.

Lost pets

To report a lost or found pet, try using NextDoor.com. If you’re not already on Next Door, sign up for your neighborhood.

Stray dog or cat

To report a stray domestic animal, contact Washington County Animal Services at 503-846-7041.

Wild animal

Wild animals are scavengers. Keep garbage cans covered with the lids locked down. Do not feed domestic animals outside. Do not store wild bird food outside. If you have problems with a wild animal, please review the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife page on Living With Wildlife or call them at 503-947-6301. They also have a list of Wildlife Control Operators, which are businesses/individuals who are permitted by ODFW to deal with certain nuisance wild animals for a fee.

Wild animal (dead)

To report a dead wild animal on a Washington County road, call Road Operations and Maintenance at 503-846-7623. In Multnomah County call Animal Services at 503-988-7387.

Code Violations

Visit Washington County’s code compliance website to complete the Code Violation complaint form. You can also review information on the Sheriff’s Office Code Enforcement page.

Building Code Violations

If you have concerns about Building Code enforcement, such as abandoned, dangerous, or dilapidated buildings, please contact Code Compliance at 503-846-4875.

Land Use Violations

For land use violations, such as unauthorized vehicles, home businesses, fence heights, setbacks, or flood plain fill, please contact Code Compliance at 503-846-4875.

Home, Yard & Garden

These contacts may help you navigate issues you have around the yard.

Backyard burning

Backyard burning is NOT permitted inside the DEQ Burn Banoundary. Backyard burning outside the DEQ Burn Ban area is permitted only during designated burn seasons and on DEQ approved burn days. The backyard burn ban generally applies to the burning of yard debris in uncontrolled piles of flammable materials and does NOT apply to barbecues or contained fires in fire-pits. For the latest updates on the backyard burning season, visit the Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Outdoor Burning page.

NOTE: The Washington County Board of Commissioners is considering an ordinance to ban backyard burning entirely within the Urban Unincorporated Areas — we’ll report on that when and if it is passed.

Garbage, Weeds, or Noise

For complaints about the accumulation of waste materials that are a public risk or that attract disease vectors (vermin), overgrown grass or weeds that present a fire hazard, or for noise complaints, please contact Washington County Solid Waste and Recycling Services at 503-846-3605.

Garden pests and diseases

The OSU Extension Service / Washington County Master Gardeners are happy to help identify garden pests, diseases, and other plant-related problems. To contact them, call their office at 503-821-1150 extension 2, email mastergardener.wc@oregonstate.edu (you can include a picture of your problem), or submit your questions to OSU’s online Ask An Expert service. You can also visit the office: 1815 NW 169th Place, Suite 1000, Beaverton, OR 97006.

Gardening techniques

To learn more about growing your own food, you can participate in an online, on-demand vegetable gardening class available through the OSU Extension service.

Honey bee information

If you’re interested in getting a swarm for your hive or learning how to collect them, sign up at the Portland Urban Beekeepers website. The beekeepers also have open monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month from 7 – 9 pm. Check their website for the next meeting date.

Honey bee swarm removal

Local Cedar Mill beekeepers will come and remove a swarm without pesticides, to keep or trade with other local beekeepers. Keep our pollinators alive! Call 503-939-9380 and talk to Jennifer or Jeff.

Portland Urban Beekeepers will also provide swarm removal by experienced beekeepers. The swarms are donated to beekeepers who are looking to start or add to their existing hives. To report a swarm, go to the Portland Urban Beekeepers Swarm Reporting page.

Neighborhood mediation

If you have issues with a neighbor about noise, fences, parking, vandalism, pet control, property damage, harassment, money, etc., and you have already tried to work it out by talking with your neighbor, you may benefit from mediation. City of Beaverton Mediation is available for Washington County residents living east of 185th. You don’t have to live in Beaverton to use the service.

Mediation helps people voluntarily resolve neighborhood issues at the community level rather than through enforcement or the courts. To report a problem, call 503-526-2523, email to mediation@beavertonoregon.gov, or visit the Center for Mediation and Dialogue at: The Beaverton Building, 5th floor, 12725 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton.

Our staff member will take a brief description of your problem, explain the mediation process, and determine a suitable time for a mediator to call. If your concern is not appropriate for mediation, we will refer you to other resources. If the matter is urgent, please let our staff person know so we can respond quickly.

Water questions

For questions about water conservation, rebates, cold weather preparation, and other water issues, call the Tualatin Valley Water District at 503-848-3000 or visit their website.

Mental Health and Addiction

Parks

To report an issue with one of the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District’s (THPRD) facilities, parks, or natural areas, use the online Park Watch Report.

If you have a concern (maintenance or otherwise) about one of the THPRD facilities, parks or natural areas, or about one of their classes or programs, please call the administration office at 503-645-6433. The office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays. After hours, please leave a message.

Personal information and privacy

To opt out of unwanted communications, try some of these contacts.

Consumer complaint form

The State of Oregon Department of Justice has a Consumer Complaint form here.

Unsolicited telephone calls and mail

The National “Do Not Call” registry is here. Once you have registered, you can submit a complaint about unwanted telephone calls here. You can also visit the Federal Trade Commission website for opt-out information.

Unwanted phone-books

To request to opt-out of phonebook deliveries, go to the National Yellow Pages opt-out site.

Police and safety

The Washington County Sheriff ’s Office would like to educate the public about public safety and when and what to report. The campaign, “See Something? Say Something!” seeks to remind citizens that if it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t; listen to your intuition. They want you to report anything that seems suspicious or makes you uncomfortable. Communicating what you see is key to preventing or deterring crime.

Background check

To run a background check, call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111.

Check your police report

To get a copy of your police report, call Records at 503-846-2524.

Criminal history

To inquire about the criminal history for you or someone else, call Oregon State Police Identification Services at 503-378-3070.

Emergencies

Call 9-1-1 if there is immediate threat of harm or danger, serious injuries, endangered persons, a missing child, or crimes in progress.

Non-emergency reports

Call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 to report graffiti, suspicious persons or vehicles, abandoned vehicles, or noise disturbances.

Speak to a deputy

Call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111.

Recycling

You can take electronics, rigid plastics, and other items not collected in residential or commercial recycling programs, to a drop-off recycling center for little or no charge. Visit the recycling center’s website for more information about what is accepted. Before you go, check to be sure that the recycling center is open.

Drop-off recycling centers

Agilyx: 13240 SW Wall Street Tigard, OR 97223, 503-217-3160 accepts styrofoam free of charge. The drop-off box in the parking lot is always open and requires no interaction.

Far West Recycling: 6440 SE Alexander St., Hillsboro 97123, 503-643-9944 accepts paper, metal, glass, electronics, plastics, some appliances, cell phones and rechargeable batteries (no alkaline batteries).

Goodwill Donation Express, 12595 NW Cornell Rd, Portland, OR 97229, near Grand Central Bakery. Hours: 7 days a week, 9 am to 8 pm. Accepts electronics. Functional items will be sold and non-functional items will be recycled.

Pride Drop-Off Recycling Depot: 13980 SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd., Sherwood, OR 97140, 593-625-5177 accepts curbside items, electronics, appliances, styrofoam, and much more. Most items are free of charge; some have a small fee. Before you go, check to see if the drop-off facility is open.

Electronics

You can drop off used electronics, working or not, at any Goodwill center, free of charge. This service is not available when the stores are closed. Electronics can also be recycled at certain drop-off recyclers for little or no charge. Visit the recycling center’s website for more information about what is accepted.

Hazardous waste

For hazardous waste, visit the Metro page to learn more and find out about disposal options. Neighborhood collection events are typically held from March through November. Check the schedule here.

Paint

Recycle unused paint at our local Miller Paint store: 1040 NW Murray Rd., 503-574-4411. Paint must be in a labeled container that is not leaking. They do not accept spray paint or pesticides.

You can also recycle paint at Habitat for Humanity ReStore Washington County: 13475 SW Millikan Way, 503-906-3823. For more locations, visit the Metro web pages.

Packing peanuts

Recycle packing peanuts at Mailboxes and More: 515 NW Saltzman Rd., 503-644-8504

Plastic film

Plastic film is soft, flexible polyethylene plastic (PE) packaging sometimes called stretch film, which can be recycled at participating local retailers. Plastic film includes thin plastic bags, such as grocery, bread, zip-top and dry cleaning bags. It also includes bubble wrap, shipping pillows (deflate), plastic shipping envelopes (remove labels), the wrap around many products including paper plates, napkins, bathroom tissue, diapers, and more. If it’s stretchy, it can be recycled. If it’s crinkly or tears like paper, it cannot be recycled. Be sure that all items are clean and dry and that the bags are completely empty. For more information on what you can recycle, see the Plastic Film Recycling Website.

To recycle film, simply place your collected film in the large plastic tub or wooden box near the entrance of the participating retailer that is designated for film recycling.

Safeway: 13485 NW Cornell Rd, 503-350-2080, Winco Foods: 3025 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, 208-377-0110, are among several local retailers participating in this program.

Roads, transportation, and vehicles

The following contact information covers a wide variety of road and transportation issues.

Abandoned vehicle

A vehicle is considered abandoned if it has been on a public right-of-way for more than 24 hours, appears to be disabled or inoperable, and/or does not belong to anyone in the immediate area. If a vehicle meets this criteria, please report it by calling the Criminal Records Office at 503-846-2700. Be prepared to provide the following information:

A description of the vehicle
License plate or VIN
Location
How long it has been there
Your name and a contact phone number or address (this information is required to process your complaint; it will be kept confidential)

Pedestrian and biking improvements

To see if a candidate for pedestrian or biking improvements has already been identified at your location of interest, review the candidates map.
To propose pedestrian or biking improvements that address a safety or connectivity issue on a Washington County road, such as needed sidewalks or bike lanes, complete and submit the form here. Proposals will be considered for funding by the URMD Pedestrian and Biking Improvement Projects Program, Minor Betterment, or other programs depending on eligibility.

Road hazards

To report safety issues on state roads and highways, call the Portland metro ODOT office at 503-283-5859. In Washington County, call 503-846-ROAD (7623) during business hours. After hours, call the Washington County non-emergency response number at 503-629-0111.

In Washington County, for concerns about things like potholes, signs, speed bumps, or traffic patterns call the road service hotline at 503-846-ROAD (7623), Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm. You can also send email to lutops@co.washington.or.us or submit the online service request form.

In Multnomah County, for concerns about non-emergency road or bridge issues, download the SeeClickFix app (which replaced the YourGOV app) on your smartphone or desktop computer. For information, go to the SeeClickFix website.

Traffic problems (ongoing)

To enter a complaint about an ongoing traffic issue, go to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office website.

The Neighborhood Streets Program (NSP) helps maintain livability in urban unincorporated neighborhoods by addressing traffic-related quality of life issues, such as speeding, cut-through traffic, and parking infiltration. Community involvement is an important part of these projects. The people who live and work in the project area have the opportunity to become actively involved in the process. Individuals may also request yard signs or temporary speed radar trailer placement without requesting a safety campaign.

Parking issues

Please visit the Washington County Vehicles and Parking page for parking and tow-related issues.

Streams and wetlands

Clean Water Services needs your help to keep our water clean and healthy. What goes down a storm drain goes to the nearest stream and eventually the Tualatin River. Unfortunately, some people dump waste such as paint, oil, soap, fertilizer, or other waste into storm drains. This kills fish and pollutes our water.