The Washington County Board of Commissioners on Nov. 6 debated whether to ask District 8 of the Association of Oregon Counties to block a proposed bylaw amendment and ultimately directed Chair Catherine Harrington to report that District 8 should move the amendment to the AOC business meeting.

The discussion centered on a proposed amendment—put forward at a District 8 meeting by a Multnomah County commissioner—that would specify that recommendations to the AOC board of directors for counties with populations above 250,000 be made by each county commission. Chair Catherine Harrington said the proposal surprised several participants because Multnomah County had not discussed it at its own commission meeting before advancing it in District 8.

"We follow our rules of procedure, which are based upon our county charter, which is voter approved," Harrington said during the roundtable. Commissioners noted District 8 includes Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties and that Multnomah's charter grants different assignment authority to its chair, a point several commissioners raised as a reason the amendment could be appropriate for a statewide conversation even if Multnomah's internal practices differ.

Commissioners expressed concern about the process used to bring the item to District 8, including limited advance notice and uneven awareness among Multnomah commissioners and AOC staff. Several board members said those procedural questions drove their unit-level reluctance to halt the item on procedural grounds alone. After discussion, a commissioner summarized the staff recommendation succinctly as "recommendation of counties with 250k plus to be made by county commissions" and asked that it be forwarded to the AOC business meeting for a full vote of the AOC body.

The board's direction was procedural rather than a binding legislative change: commissioners agreed they would not block the item at the district level and that the full AOC membership should decide whether to adopt the amendment statewide. The commissioners also asked staff to report back if additional information about charter differences or AOC process might change Washington County's view prior to the AOC business meeting.

Why it matters: The change affects how large counties may contribute recommendations for appointments and other board-level actions at the statewide AOC body. Commissioners said they support transparent, democratic processes for those recommendations, but emphasized that differences in county charters could require additional local consideration.

What the board did next: Chair Harrington will report District 8's direction to AOC President John Schaefer and note Washington County's view that the item be considered at the AOC business meeting, according to the board's direction at the Nov. 6 roundtable.