Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Thank you, Clerk Moss. And welcome, everyone, to the Tuesday, September 15th, 2026, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting. Clerk Moss, could you do us the formal honors, please?

Certainly, Chair Harrington. The Washington County Board of Commissioners also meeting as all other county service districts is meeting this regular session September 15th, 2026. Commissioner Fai?

Present.

Commissioner Snyder? Here. Commissioner Treece?

Here.

Chair Harrington?

Here.

And I'll announce Commissioner Willey is excused.

Thank you. Would all those who are able please stand and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you, next we'll move on to public communication. Clerk Moss, who do we have who would like to share their thoughts with us for up to two minutes an individual?

Chair Harrington, we did have one sign up, Natalie Salgado. I don't see her in the room. Is there any other members of the auditorium that wish to provide public comment on a calendar-related topic for up to two minutes? Just raise your hands, start coming forward. Not seeing any in the room. Is there any member online via Zoom that wish to provide public comment to the board on any calendar-related topic? We'll give you just a second to utilize raise hand function. Not seeing any hands. Chair Harrington.

All right, we'll move on then to today's consent agenda, which consists of 10 different items, two sets of minutes, one item from our community development office, one from IT, and six from land use and transportation. What are the wishes of the board?

Move to approve. Second.

I stand corrected, it was five.

Nope, it was six.

All right, all those in favor of adopting today's consent agenda, please raise your hand or say aye. Thank you, commissioners. Any opposed? The motion carries unanimously, four to zero. Next, we'll move on to proclamations. We have a Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month proclamation. And an empty presentation panel. Good morning, Chair. Hello, Alicia. It's good to see you and to welcome the whole panel. Could you introduce them all to us?

Yes, so today we have Adrienne, Adriana, and Willie that will be reading the proclamation. Adrienne is going to do some opening remarks for you all first.

Good morning, Chair Harrington and Commissioners. My name is Adrian Manriquez and I'm the Civil Rights Officer in the Office of Access and Opportunity. I'm honored to introduce this proclamation as well as offer a few introductory remarks. Washington County cultural heritage celebrations and resource pages are an important starting point for our collective organizational engagement and learning about the community we serve. They offer an opportunity to enter and strengthen relationships with staff and community who recognize the important role that Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month offers. This Hispanic and Latin American community, like all cultures, is not a monolith. It encompasses a range of diverse lived experiences, contributions, and opinions. Even with the wide range of Hispanic and Latin American experiences, the one thing we know to be true is Hispanic and Latin American history is American history. It is essential to understanding the nation's full story and how Hispanic and Latin American heritage is an integral part of our great nation. Thank you to all of the planning committee members for their hard work and dedication to help educate the community. With that, I would like to turn it over to staff members Adriana Ortega from County Council to read the English proclamation and Willie Risco from OAO to read the Spanish version of the proclamation.

Good morning. So this is the proclamation in honor of Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month, 2026. Whereas each year, the United States observes National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th by recognizing and celebrating the history, traditions, cultural diversity, and countless contributions of those whose ancestors were indigenous to North America, including Mexico, as well as those whose ancestors from Central America, South America, Spain, and the Caribbean. And whereas the observation of Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Johnson and was expanded by President Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. Whereas the date, September 15th, is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Belize also celebrate their independence in September. Whereas Washington County recognizes and honors the many perspectives within our communities and to foster an environment of inclusivity and respect, acknowledges that the terms Hispanic and Latina, Latino, Latinx, Latine, are not interchangeable. as those who identify as Hispanic may trace their heritage to Spanish-speaking countries or Spain. Conversely, Latina, Latino, Latinx, Latine, encompasses individuals from Latin American countries who may not necessarily speak Spanish and embody a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, including but not limited to indigenous, African, Portuguese, European, and Asian heritage. And whereas this year's theme, Unidos Somos Mas, Together We Are More, honors the diverse histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic and Latin American communities through stories connected by shared values of family, resilience, creativity, faith, and service. Whereas the theme centers unity as our greatest strength, celebrating what binds us while also addressing the barriers and lack of equal access and opportunity that many Hispanic and Latin Americans still face. And whereas in Washington County, the Hispanic and Latin American population is now 107,642, constituting approximately 17.9% of our total population, representing 3 billion in economic purchasing power in the state of Oregon and 6,300 business owned statewide. And whereas Washington County's Hispanic and Latin American employees comprise 12% of our workforce, delivering services and providing leadership in all departments, throughout our county, our longest serving Hispanic and Latin American staff members have contributed over 35 years of continuous service to our county and communities. And whereas Washington County honors and recognizes the many ways that Hispanics and Latin Americans have enriched and continue to enrich the fabric of our society and county as entrepreneurs, lawyers, athletes, artists, entertainers, scientists, public servants, and as trusted community partners like Adelante Mujeres, Bienestar, Centro Cultural, Virginia Garcia, and Latino Network, all of which are driving service and unity in our diverse communities. Now, therefore, be it resolved that on this 15th day of September 2026, the Washington County Board of Commissioners does hereby proclaim September 15th through October 15th, 2026 as Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month and encourages all residents to celebrate the unique and vibrant history of our diverse communities. Reflect on this year's theme, Unidos Somos Mas, and stand united in building a stronger future for all. Thank you.

Buenos dias. Yo soy Willy Risco de la Oficina de Acceso y Oportunidad del Condado de Washington. Hoy estoy aquí para presentar la proclamación en honor al mes de la herencia hispana. del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre de 2026, considerando que cada año del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, Estados Unidos conmemora el mes nacional de la herencia hispana, reconociendo y celebrando la historia, las tradiciones, la diversidad cultural, y las innumerables contribuciones de las personas cuyos antepasados eran indígenas de América del Norte, incluyendo México, así como de aquellos cuyos antepasados procedían de Centroamérica, Sudamérica, España y el Caribe. Y considerando que la conmemoración del mes de la herencia hispana comenzó en el 1968 como la semana de herencia hispana durante la presidencia de Lyndon B. Johnson y fue ampliada por el presidente Ronald Reagan en 1988 para abarcar un periodo de 30 días. y considerando que el 15 de septiembre es una fecha significativa porque marca el aniversario de la independencia de varios países latinoamericanos, incluidos Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua, y que México, Chile, Brasil y Belice también celebran su independencia durante el mes de septiembre. Y considerando que el condado de Washington reconoce y honra los numerosos prospectivas presentes en nuestras comunidades y con el propósito de formar un ambiente de inclusión y respeto, reconoce que los términos hispanos y latina, latino, latinex y latine no son intercambios, ya que las personas que se identifican como hispanas pueden tener raíces en países de habla hispana o en España. Mientras que Latina, Latino, Latinx, Latine, abarca a personas procedentes de países latinoamericanos que no necesariamente hablan español y que representan diversos orígenes raciales, étnicos incluidos, entre otros los de herencia indígena, africana, portuguesa, europea y asiática. Y considerando que el tema de este año, Unidos Somos Más, Together we are more. fe y servicio, y considerando que este tema presenta la unidad como nuestra mayor fortaleza, celebrando aquello que nos une y, al mismo tiempo, reconociendo las barreras y la falta de igualdad en el acceso y las oportunidades que muchas personas hispanas y latinoamericanas todavía enfrentan. Y considerando que la población hispana y latinoamericana del Condado de Washington Asciende actualmente a 107,642 personas, lo que representa aproximadamente el 17.9% de nuestra población total. Además, esta comunidad representa 3,000 millones de dólares en poder adquisitivo en el estado de Oregon y cuenta con 6,300 empresas de propiedad hispana y latinoamericana en todo el estado. Y considerando que las personas hispanas y latinoamericanas empleadas por el condado de Washington representan el 12%, de nuestra fuerza laboral presentando servicios y ejerciendo funciones de liderazgo en todos los departamentos del condado y que quienes llevan más tiempo presentando servicio han contribuido durante más de 35 años continuos a nuestro condado y a nuestras comunidades. y considerando que el condado de Washington honra y reconoce las numerosas maneras en que las personas hispanas y latinoamericanas han enriquecido y continúan enriqueciendo el tejido de nuestra sociedad y nuestro condado como empresarias, atletas, artistas, profesionales de entretenimiento, científicas, servidoras públicas y colaboradoras comunitarias de confianza, entre ellas, Adelante Mujeres, Bienestar, Centro Cultural, Virginia Garcia, y Latino Network, organizaciones que promueven el servicio y la unidad en nuestras diversas comunidades. Por lo tanto, se resuelve que en este día, 15 de septiembre de 2026, la Junta de Comisionados del Condado de Washington proclama oficialmente el periodo comprendido entre el 15 de septiembre y el 15 de octubre de 2026 como el mes de la herencia hispana y latinoamericana. Y invita a todas las personas residentes a celebrar la historia única y vibrante de nuestras diversas comunidades. reflexion are so they've been out of this that you wheels so much plus it that they're going to serve me that's that's what we're will put a lot of solilo para las personas thank you commissioners do we have a motion to adopt the proclamations and that as read uh... quick comment that so moved i'll make a comment second

Okay, commissioners, any questions or comments?

Bravo. I just wanted to say thank you for reading that in Spanish. Your Espanol is muy bien. And I'm just going to say, me gusta hablar Espanol, pero necesito practicar. So now you motivated me to practice my Spanish. So thank you for being here this morning, and, yeah, let's celebrate. Make it a great month.

I just want to quickly recognize something that you shared today that really spoke with me, and that was the Together We Are More adage, and I think you said the theme for this year, and that really spoke to me, and I think it's really important to keep that in our brains and our hearts. So thank you.

I'd also like to express my appreciation for the work that you've done to pull this proclamation together. and for the next month and entire year that we celebrate moving forward. Thank you.

Thank you, team, for being here. Thank you, Adrian, and job well done, Willie. Thank you. All right, all those in favor of adopting today's proclamation, recognizing Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month, September 15th through October 15th, 2026, please vote by raising your hand or saying aye. Thank you. Commissioners, any opposed? The motion carries unanimously, four to zero. Would you like a picture with... the board and any other members of the AOA staff or Washington County staff that you would like to invite up.

Oh, sorry, to the back. Oh, okay. I stand in front of you because I'm small.

Anybody want to be in the center? All right.

Thank you, brother. I will.

Okay, we'll carry on with our meeting. And the next item is our second public communication period for today's meeting. This is an opportunity for individuals to share their thoughts with the board for up to five minutes an individual. Clerk Moss, do we have anyone who wishes to do so?

I do, Madam Chair. We have two in the auditorium. We have Soraya Sena and Dale Feek. If you two gentlemen can come forward.

Good morning, Commissioners and Chair Harrington. My name is Surat Zindia. I have a prepared statement and I have filed a packet with the Commissioners for review before this meeting. So I have prepared statements, so I'll just read it out, and we can have a back and forth if need be. Since I have only five minutes, I'll keep it to the point. I live at 19158 Southwest Burkwood Lane in the unincorporated Washington County. It's in Aloha. I am a resident and a homeowner there. close to my house about my street and at the intersection between 192nd avenue and southwest burkwood lane where my residence is located there is a stop sign it's a t intersection it's a two-lane county road there is no center line no curbs one side of the road is gravel shoulders the other side has pavement, vehicles are always parked along the southwest 192nd lane block, and when a driver stops along the Burkwood Lane, they cannot see when they're making a right turn or a left turn into 192nd Avenue. ODOT's crash data records of this angle-type collision has recorded multiple incidents of multiple accidents basically starting from about 2007 going to as recently as 2024 and there are Google Street View images that I have enclosed in the packet that show the situation and any attempt to basically get people to recognize this has gone unanswered, meaning There are SOP signs posted, there are no parking signs posted on one end of the street, but there is no enforcement and as a result people flagrantly violate it. So what I'm requesting is some kind of enforcement as well as some kind of additional signage along the street on 192nd Avenue so that people don't park there. And unnecessarily, we can, you know, needlessly, people can get hurt. It's a hazard, ongoing hazard. To this effect, I had filed a request, and the LUT has answered. They have assigned a service record request. All I'm asking for is execution to the commitment that they have. So thank you.

Thank you. And as our team has responded to you, they are following up and investigating and moving forward. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Feig.

Chair Harrington and Commissioners Dale Feeke, I sent a couple emails to you this morning by mistake, I realize, but I want to say something first about Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month. Yesterday at the Forest Grove City Council meeting, a Hispanic and Latin American heritage proclamation was read in English and also in Spanish, and Council President Mariana Valenzuela, whose son and family were in the audience, and the son is a Washington County government affairs director, so it was a nice experience for her and for an employee of the county. What I sent you, though, the main topic I want to talk about is a story that Hilary Borod of the Oregonian wrote. It's called Trafficked Teens Sue's Oregon Child Welfare Agency Legend Red Flags Were Ignored. And I sent this also to Kevin Barton, you know, our district attorney, Caprice Massey, the sheriff, and David Marzelli, the Forest Grove chief of police. And I got a little filed up in my email this morning, and I had a single, single email for the reporter, and I had to send it a couple times, and I had to send it to a different way. That's the reason you receive this more than once. And so she says, and I attached the entire story so you can read it yourself, the whole thing. A Portland teen who was sold for sex from the age of 13 is suing the Oregon Department of Human Services alleging that the state agency failed to investigate an early report that she was being trafficked and later ignored obvious signs for ongoing exploitation. Vetting reports of child abuse and neglect is one of the human services agency's core responsibilities. In a lawsuit filed in Multnomah Circuit Court, lawyers for the young woman, identified as AG, wrote that she met her trafficker, Dominique Williams, near her Portland home in spring of 2021. At the time, Williams was 28 and the girl was just 13. Not long after they met, Williams sexually assaulted the girl and began selling her to adult men for sex. She stopped attending school and was exclusively being trafficked to adult men from commercial sex. AG's lawyers wrote the lawsuit. In June 2021, someone filed a report with the Oregon Department of Human Services that AG was being trafficked for sex. The lawsuit states, however, Kodat and Riddell wrote that Department of Human Services failed to properly screen the concern of sexual abuse and exploitation of AG and failed to assign an investigator to the court, all in violation of their own policies. And then going on into the story, a 2024 investigation of the Oregonian, Oregon Live, found that many states, including Oregon, have been slow in embracing recommendations meant to help protect children from being coerced into the sex trade. The investigation all found that Oregon DHS failed to keep teen and foster care safe from being sold for sex despite a long history of warning signs that she was set at risk for trafficking. In AG's case, it's not clear from the lawsuit what adults were responsible for her care when she met Williams at age 13. Williams quickly took control over the young men's teen's life, the lawsuit asserts. It's terrible, but this is real life. Continuing with the article, The Oregon found many states, including Oregon, have been slow in embracing recommendations meant to help protect children from being coerced into the sex trade. The investigation all found that Oregon DHS failed to keep a teen in foster care safe from being sold for sex, despite a long history of warning signs that she was at risk for trafficking. And you can read on to that. And then further down, Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl Dune, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist in the book titled, and here's the book, A Path Appears, Chapter 10, Attacking Sex Trafficking States. You may choose to look the other way, but you can never say again that you did not know. That's quoting William Wilberford, leader of the anti-slavery campaign in Great Britain beginning in the 1780s. And he goes on in the book, excerpts from Attacking Sex Trafficking, and you may want to read that in more detail, but the big, big, emphasis with Kristoff and who done state This has to be addressed it has to be openly addressed there are things that you can do there are programs that work Don't put it under the cover It needs to be out especially the girls are tattooed and that the pimps end up tattooing them they claim it as cells and they act as slaves they need help and I hope as the people in Washington County and Forest Grove and anybody listening We'll take it very seriously and act, and that's what I say. If you read this, please read Chapter 7 and take actions to prevent it. Thank you for listening.

Thank you, Mr. Feek. Anyone else? Clerk Moss?

Is there any member else in the auditorium? Mr. Pryor, public comment for up to five minutes on any other county-related topic not seen in the hands or anyone coming forward. We do have two online signed up. The first one is Natalie Salgado. Ms. Salgado, can you hear us? Are you able to unmute? Okay, we'll give you just a second there. We'll move on to the second one, Charlie Henderson. Mr. Henderson, can you hear us? Mr. Henderson or Ms. Salgado, can either of you hear us? We are not able to hear you. I'll give you just a few more seconds for either one of you. Seems that we are having technical problems on their end, Madam Chair.

All right. Well, seeing, why don't I... go through board announcements and we'll see if that can be corrected in a few moments. So our next meeting, Tuesday, September 22nd, we'll have our work session starting at 3 p.m. and a board meeting at 6.30 p.m. On Thursday, October 1st, we'll have a Board of Commissioners Roundtable starting at 9 a.m. On Tuesday, October 6th, we'll have a Board of Commissioners meeting at 9 a.m. We'll pause that so that at 10 o'clock we have the Housing Authority Board of Directors meeting, followed by the Washington County Board meeting immediately after that, maybe around 10.40 in the morning. And then we'll continue our work session after that, but certainly no later than 1 p.m., On Tuesday, October 13th, we'll have our board work session starting at 11 a.m. On Tuesday, October 20th, we'll have our work session starting at 9. We'll pause that for our board meeting at 10 and then reconvene in work session certainly no later than 1 p.m. On Tuesday, October 27th, we'll have our board work session starting at 1 p.m. and the Washington County Board meeting at 6.30 p.m. And then lastly, in the month of October, on Thursday, October 29th, everyone is invited to join us at 6 p.m. for the Washington County 2026 State of the County, where you'll get to hear from all members of the Board of Commission. Clerk Moss, could we see if our two public comment speakers on Zoom might be able to unmute again?

Ms. Salgada, can you hear us?

I can hear you. Can you hear me?

Yes, we can. Please go ahead for up to five minutes.

Okay, thank you very much, Clerk Moss. Good morning, Chair and Commissioners. My name is Natalie Salgado, and I am here as a constituent, a wife, and a mother to ask for your help obtaining transparency and accountability from the county regarding the early termination of my husband's position. My husband was hired as Washington County's Senior Broadband Investment Coordinator. When he accepted the position, he understood it was funded through December of 2026. That understanding is supported by the county's own job posting, which states, This is a limited duration opportunity funded through December 31st, 2026. The position is eligible for benefits. His employment, nevertheless, ended on May 1st of 2026, seven months before that stated funding period ended. After being told the position would end early, my husband asked county leadership for an explanation, who made the decision, what changed, and what happened to the funding associated with the position. The county explained the decision was based on an assessment of the remaining work and fiscal stewardship and that the remaining initiatives had been completed, canceled, or scheduled for completion by early April. The county also stated the decision was not based on performance. My husband then provided a detailed response, identifying work he believed remained, including bead implementation, digital access initiatives, broadband action teamwork, and ARPA report reporting. He also explained the project management system relied upon in the assessment did not capture all of the work and responsibilities attributed to him. So I'm not here today asking for you to take our word for it. I'm only asking you to help us get the questions answered. There's still a fundamental issue I don't understand, such as how a position publicly advertised as funded through December 31st of 2026 ended on May 1st. What changed between those two points and what happened to the funding associated with the position? The county has explained that certain funding was no longer needed for its original intended purpose and was redirected or made available for other uses. That still leaves me asking how the original representation regarding the position was reconciled with the decision to end it seven months early. This isn't simply an abstract administrative issue for our family. My husband was the sole income earner in our household, and since his employment ended, I've had to substantially increase my own work hours to keep our family financially afloat. We're also beginning our son's first year of homeschool kindergarten, and I had planned to be the primary parent and educator during this important transition. Instead, I've had to spend much of that time working outside of the home. I understand the board may not have the authority to resolve an individual employment matter from the dais. What I am asking for is for you to exercise your oversight role and help us get the matter to the appropriate administrative authority for us to have a meaningful review and response. Specifically, there's three things I'm asking for. Number one, an accounting of what changed between the December 26th funding representation and the May 1st termination. Number two, a clear accounting of what happened to the funding associated with the position. And number three, guidance on who has the authority to independently review the decision and our request for compensation through the original funded period or to clearly explain why that commitment cannot be honored. We've documented our questions. We've provided all of the information available to us. We're just simply asking that the county provide the answers, not for special treatment, just merely for transparency, accountability, and a fair opportunity for us to understand what has happened. Thank you.

Madam Chair, it looks like Mr. Henderson has dropped off the call, so that would conclude the comment period.

All right. And since we've already had board announcements, that brings us to the end of today's meeting. Do we have a motion to adjourn?

Second.

We have a motion and a second to adjourn today's meeting. All those in favor, please vote by raising your hand or saying aye. Thank you. Commissioners, any opposed? The motion carries unanimously.