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Washington County quarterly management report: ARPA projects near completion, IT accessibility and public-safety planning highlighted
Summary
At its work session, Washington County staff told commissioners that ARPA-funded capital projects are entering their final phase, the county’s website now meets WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and the county is preparing for state public-safety planning under HB 3069; staff also reported housing milestones and library and parks project updates.
Tanya, a county staff presenter, delivered the quarterly management report at Washington County's work session, outlining project timelines, accessibility upgrades and public-safety planning.
Tanya said ARPA-funded capital projects are "entering the final phase," and staff expect to meet ARPA spending deadlines despite a major schedule shift. She reported that 11 capital projects are currently active and together total about $200,000,000 and noted routine summer construction impacts.
On digital accessibility, Tanya told commissioners the county website is fully "WCAG 2.1 AA compliant," an upgrade she tied to the county's access and opportunity resolution. The county is also updating PowerPoint and vendor materials to improve public accessibility.
Public-safety planning and HB 3069 were highlighted as items to watch: Tanya said the state is preparing a unified grant process and standardized biennial plan, and the county has formed a public safety coordinating subcommittee to prepare the county's response. On community corrections, staff reported that optional arming is progressing — equipment has been purchased and initial employees have completed training — but cautioned that arming "will not be put in place until there are assurances that the training staff from the sheriff's office is confident in the training level at community corrections."
On housing and related programs, Tanya said the county has housed 3,000 supportive-housing households funded through county programs and noted that the Forest Grove permanent supportive housing project will receive 9% tax-credit financing from Oregon Housing and Community Services. She also said the county completed financial analysis and policy adjustments for HUD-funded Housing Choice Voucher payment standards.
Tanya described changes in library services administration: WCCLS staff developed a draft memorandum of understanding to define shared-service expectations with partner libraries, plan to recruit two supervisors by August, and expect to issue an RFP for main materials and processing services later this summer. Parks capital projects including Scoggins Campground and Scoggins Visitor Park are nearing design and permitting completion, with major grants and fall RFP plans in place.
Separately, a commissioner raised concerns about a Metro work-session recommendation to reduce funding for the Ash Creek Nature Link project; the commissioner said Metro's action reduced a staff-recommended funding amount and warned that the timing could jeopardize project windows tied to private landowner cooperation.
The work session concluded with board thanks for the 56-page report and confirmation that some ordinance work and code modernization will be rescheduled to fiscal-year 2027 quarters; the board then adjourned to its regular meeting and planned executive sessions later in the day.
No formal votes or new policy adoptions were recorded in the work session transcript.
