Washington County adopts access and opportunity resolution after weekslong community review

The Washington County Board of Commissioners on July 22 adopted an Access and Opportunity Resolution and Order intended to let the county sign federal and state contracts while stating that the county will follow federal, state and local law, including Oregon's sanctuary law.

County Administrator Tanya Angie told the board the resolution "states that Washington County will uphold federal, state, and local laws. This means that we will continue to uphold state law. This includes Oregon's longstanding sanctuary promise law." She and consultant teams said the measure is meant to clarify how the county will approach federal grant attestation language that has been changing rapidly.

The resolution follows a five-week drafting and outreach process led by county staff, the county's advisory committee on racial equity (ACRE) and consultant Espousal Strategies. Consultants Jonelle Bell and Lucy Hamer told the board they held staff listening sessions, community-based organization roundtables, a CBO drop-in and an anonymous survey and iterated the draft weekly with ACRE and county leadership. Bell said the process aimed to "center engagement throughout" and that staff, ACRE and CBOs broadly urged that the resolution be tied to clear next steps and implementation.

County staff said the action is time-sensitive because many grant agreements renew in July and August and because some contracts include attestation language tied to recent executive orders. Assistant County Administrator Anne Ober and other staff described three groups of funding: (1) federal grants with attestation language that staff believe can be aligned with the resolution and signed quickly (including the Community Development Block Grant and maternal and child health block grants); (2) blended state-federal funds and pass-throughs that need additional weeks of language work with the state and CBOs; and (3) programs where changes are not yet required but are expected to arrive later, such as the county's housing choice voucher program that serves about 3,410 households annually.

Ober said the county relies on about $135 million in annual federal operating funds and that, because some contracts began July 1, the county had been temporarily covering services at an estimated rate of about $562,000 per week while staff negotiated contract language. Staff said they used strategic investment funds to bridge shortfalls and that signing the resolution would allow many contracts to proceed and reimburse the county and local partners.

During public comment the board heard more than two dozen speakers over a special public-comment period set aside for the item. Testimony included repeated requests that the board explicitly add language to the resolution protecting sanctuary status and promising the county will not assist federal immigration enforcement; others urged caution about federal attestation language and asked the county to consider litigation with other jurisdictions. County officials and staff repeatedly stated the county will follow state law and described limits on local authority over federal enforcement.

Commissioner Nafissa Fye (spelled in the record as Fye) spoke on the dais that she would vote for the resolution "to ensure our community receives the resources it needs" while reserving the right to continue monitoring contracts and to press for stronger protections and transparency. Chair Harrington and other commissioners said they supported the resolution as a necessary, targeted step to preserve funding for services.

An amendment proposed by Commissioner Fye to add explicit language referencing Oregon's sanctuary statutes failed for lack of a second and was described on the record as "tabled." The main resolution passed unanimously, 5–0.

The board and staff said additional work remains after adoption: updating board strategic documents, amending RFPs and statements of work, continuing outreach with community partners, and creating staff guidance and training on how state sanctuary law and contract attestation obligations interact. County counsel advised the board that sovereign limits exist — county staff cannot prevent unilateral federal law-enforcement actions in the county — and that home-rule status does not allow the county to override state or federal preemption.

Implementation steps, further legal analysis and possible future actions (including litigation) were discussed as continuing items staff would return to the board about.

Ending: Commissioners and staff framed the vote as a focused, interim step to protect services while promising continued community engagement and additional implementation work. The board scheduled follow-up implementation activities and said it would monitor the evolving federal landscape and any required contract changes.