Washington County commissioners say they will not rescind equity resolution; pause federal contracts while seeking path forward

Washington County commissioners announced June 24 that they will not rescind the county's equity resolution and that they have paused signing federal grants and contracts while staff and a retained consultant develop a replacement path intended to honor inclusion and comply with law.

The board, meeting as the County Board of Commissioners, moved a scheduled presentation forward and read a joint statement after members raised community concern about an agenda item pulled from the June 17 agenda that would have considered rescinding the equity resolution. Vice Chair Therese and Commissioner Fey took part in delivering the statement at the start of the public comment period.

The board said the agenda item had been pulled at the work session and that no vote to rescind had taken place. The statement said in part, "We want to be clear: we will not be rescinding, revising, or amending this resolution." It added that the county administrator has retained a consultant "to help the board, county staff and the 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." The board also announced a temporary pause on signing federal grants and contracts pending that work; the statement noted the county receives about $135,000,000 in federal funding annually.

Nut graf: The announcement responded to strong public comment both for maintaining DEI-related policies and for legal compliance. Commissioners emphasized they pulled the rescission item for more community consideration and plan a consultative process before taking any formal changes.

Public comment: The board heard from more than a dozen residents over a 42-minute public comment period. Speakers included longtime residents, former county officials and community organizers who urged the board to keep DEI protections in place. Sandra Nelson, introduced herself as a Washington County resident and said she "commend[ed] Chair Harrington for a very thoughtfully written resolution" and urged the board to "give our board wisdom and courage as they sort out the most important issues of the resolution." Elizabeth Genley, representing Indivisible Forest Grove, said the group supports Commissioner Fey's call for a resolution that "firmly supports the county's role in providing fair treatment and equal protection." Home Plate Youth Services outreach coordinator Lucy Simmons told the board that staff have seen increased fear and suicide risk among youth and said "complying with these orders will not shield Washington County from federal scrutiny" but would deepen fear among vulnerable residents.

Board context and next steps: Commissioners said they will pause signing federal grants and contracts until the consultant-led process is complete and that they will provide updates in the weeks ahead. The statement said the effort will produce a resolution and order that aims to be lawful and nondiscriminatory and that county staff and community input will be part of the process. Several public commenters urged a coalitional response with other jurisdictions and community organizations.

Ending: The board opened a longer-than-usual public comment period to allow speakers to address the paused agenda item and announced they will extend community engagement on the matter.

Speakers cited in this story: "Vice Chair Therese" (Vice Chair), "Commissioner Fey" (Commissioner), Clerk Moss (Clerk), Sandra Nelson (Resident), Hope Kramer (Resident), Elizabeth Genley (Indivisible Forest Grove), David Taylor (Resident), Lucy Simmons (Home Plate Youth Services outreach coordinator), Maggie Myers (Resident), Linda Taylor (Resident), River Schall (Zoom commenter).