Equity advisory board asks Lane County to pilot countywide changes to boost civic participation

Lane County’s Equity Program and its Equity Program Advisory Board (EPAB) presented a package of recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on April 7 designed to increase diverse civic participation and reduce barriers to serving on county advisory boards.

Shaina Higashi, program analyst and EPAB staff liaison, described a consolidated online application that lists all county advisory boards and allows applicants to indicate demographics and accessibility needs that can be used to improve recruitment and tracking. The program has piloted staff liaison training, onboarding procedures and an optional $500 accessibility fund (used for child‑care, caregiver support or travel expenses) to reduce financial barriers for volunteers.

EPAB co‑chair Darcy Standifer described recruitment, assignment and retention as interdependent stages and urged the board to consider establishment of a time‑limited staff–community task force to pilot policies countywide, report back, and — if effective — scale the practices across Lane County’s committees and commissions. Board members expressed broad support in the meeting for the recommendations and thanked EPAB members and staff for outreach work; a number of commissioners volunteered to participate in follow‑up efforts.

Public commenters who had served with EPAB described personal experience of increased confidence and civic participation after involvement with the program. Commissioners asked staff to return with implementation details and suggested annual reporting on progress.