Oak Hills residents ask Washington County for records, clarity on background checks for transitional housing

Megan Hill, who identified herself as board president of the Oak Hills Homeowners Association representing more than 650 households, urged the Washington County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 20 to immediately release outstanding public records related to the proposed Cornell Road transitional housing facility and to clarify whether any statute or Metro supportive-housing guideline prohibits background checks or excluding violent and certain sex offenders from that program.

"We requested a full public records fee waiver under the county's own policy because the records relate to public safety, procurement integrity, and land use authority," Hill said. She said the initial records request dated from August remains partially unanswered, that the county district attorney requested additional information from housing services staff, and that delays have impeded the "good neighbor" agreement process.

Hill said she had provided the county "the applicable statute, which explicitly states that those residency restrictions apply to permanent housing, not transitional housing," and argued that if no binding statute or funding mandate exists then the county's approach is a policy decision that should be publicly identified and justified. She asked Chair Harrington to instruct the county administrator and appropriate departments to release the records.

Chair Harrington replied that the board majority "supports the statement that you've received the information in response from our legal department," indicating legal staff had provided some response to Hill's inquiries.

Hill's request focused on transparency, record access and whether site-specific safety measures — such as background checks or exclusions for certain offenses — are legally prohibited or are local policy choices. The board did not take formal action on the matter during the meeting.