Get involved, share your skills and help shape our community by joining a Columbia County board, committee or commission. Provide advice and feedback to commissioners and staff on county services and programs such as transportation, parks, budgeting, solid waste, CC Rider, and more!
ABOUT: Volunteer terms run from one to five years, depending on the board, committee or commission and circumstances, terms run on fiscal and calendar years. Contact Jacyn Normine at 503-397-4322 for additional information.
Interested in volunteering? Learn more, view current advisory opportunities and apply!
OUR BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS:
Ambulance Service Advisory Committee
The Ambulance Service advisory committee serves in an advisory capacity to the County Health Administrator and the Board of Commissioners. Two openings are available for residents who can represent the interests of local citizens. The committee periodically reviews and monitors the local Ambulance Service Area Plan as well as proposes updates and amendments to the plan. Members of the committee also provide a process for a regular random sampling of ambulance services and make recommendations for revocation or suspension of providers. The committee also gathers input from consumers, providers and the medical community as well reviews complaints concerning the quality of ambulance services provided in the county.
Board of Property Tax Appeals
The Board of Property Tax Appeals reviews petitions from property owners who seek to appeal the assessed real market value of their property. The Board of Property Tax Appeals (BOPTA) is made up of three volunteer citizens of the county; they are not government officials. BOPTA members are selected by the County Clerk and appointed by the Board of Commissioners.
Budget Committee
The six-member Budget Committee, composed of the three county commissioners and an equal number of citizens, reviews the county’s proposed annual budget as well as the budget for the Columbia County Development Agency. People with a financial or budgeting background are preferred but any county citizen interested in working collaboratively to maintain a workable and balanced budget and improving the county’s ability to provide services is welcome to apply. Applicants must live in Columbia County, be registered to vote, and may not be employees, officers, or agents of the county.
Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee (CC Rider/Transit) OPEN SEATS
With the 2017 passage of the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF), the new dedicated source of funding for expanding public transportation service in Oregon, the county’s Citizen Transportation Advisory Committee has taken on added responsibilities. In addition to making recommendations to the Board of Commissioners on matters relating to the transportation needs of veterans, seniors, commuters, students, and people with disabilities, the committee will also review proposed new projects and make funding recommendations using criteria specified under STIF. Applicants must represent users of public transportation, the business or economic development communities, a local government, or a provider of human services.
Civil Service Commission
The Civil Service Commission was approved by the voters of Columbia County in the 1960s to ensure that public workers are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations and to remove the effects of nepotism and patronage. Common activities before the Commission are the approval of job descriptions, the approval of requests to reclassify workers, appeals from hiring process or certain disciplinary matters, and to review any changes to or unusual decisions made by the Chief Examiner (Human Resources Director) regarding hiring practices.
CZ Trail Advisory Committee OPEN SEATS
The CZ Trail Advisory committee was re-formed in 2018 to focus on the development of the 23-mile route between the cities of Scappoose and Vernonia. The Committee advises the Columbia County Board of Commissioners and county staff, and also works on specific projects regarding the trail. Projects include reviewing a Concept Plan developed in the 2000s, acquisition or right-of-way of part of the trail in Vernonia connecting to the Banks-Vernonia Trail, developing trailheads with signage, and the use of a former logging camp as an equestrian camp. The CZ Trail offers recreational opportunities for hikers, cyclists, and horseback riders.
Elected Officials Compensation Committee OPEN SEAT
The Elected Officials Compensation Committee recommends a compensation schedule for elected officials in the county, including the Board of Commissioners, sheriff, assessor, and county clerk. Applicants should be knowledgeable in personnel and compensation management. Members serve one-year terms.
Fair Board
The Columbia County Fair Board plans and organizes the county's annual Fair, which draws up to 25,000 people. Committee members four-year terms. The seven-member committee seeks sponsors, organizes vendors, plans exhibits and displays, and schedules entertainers for the five-day event, which is held in July each year.
4-H & Extension Service District Budget Committee
This committee, composed of citizens and the three members of the County Board of Commissioners, reviews the District budget that supports Oregon State University Extension work in Columbia County.
This committee, composed of the three county commissioners and an equal number of citizens, reviews the county’s proposed annual budget as well as the budget for the Columbia County Development Agency. People with a financial or budgeting background are preferred but any county citizen interested in working collaboratively to maintain a workable and balanced budget and improving the county’s ability to provide services is welcome to apply. Applicants must live in Columbia County, be registered to vote, and may not be employees, officers, or agents of the county.
Homeland Security Emergency Management Commission
The Columbia County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Commission (HSEMC) is a public/private partnership that works to build and improve resiliency in Columbia County. HSEMC was formed in 2008 to advise the Columbia County Board of Commissioners and Columbia County Emergency Management on resilience and whole community preparedness. The Commission partners work together to organize outreach, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery for incidents of all kinds - from floods to fires to landslides to chemical spills.
Jail Operating Citizens Advisory Committee OPEN SEATS
The Jail Operating Citizens Advisory Committee (JOCAC) advises the Board of Commissioners and the County Sheriff on proper spending of funds raised by levies for operating the Columbia County Jail. They also report periodically to the board and explain to county residents how funds are being distributed. JOCAC was formed in 2014 to ensure accountability and transparency to taxpayers following the passage in 2013 of a $7 million bond to operate and maintain the 255-bed facility. The levy was renewed by voters in 2016.
Local Public Safety Coordinating Council
The Columbia County Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC) was established by Senate Bill 1145 (1995) to coordinate local criminal justice policy and planning among affected criminal justice entities working with local adult and youth offender populations. LPSCC also oversees the county's Justice Reinvestment Grant program and makes recommendations to the county Board of Commissioners regarding the use of state and county resources to supervise local offenders. The Council brings together criminal justice leaders, service providers, and other stakeholders to ensure cross-system collaboration and a cooperative approach to public safety policy and programs.
Parks Advisory Committee OPEN SEATS
The Parks Advisory Committee reviews, advises, and makes recommendations to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners and to parks staff on matters related to the county’s park and marine facilities. This includes long-range planning, development, design, and certain budget considerations. Committee members also advocate to decision-makers and the public for park needs, as well as participate in events and assist in promoting parks facilities and activities.
Planning Commission OPEN SEATS
The Planning Commission serves as the hearing body on land use issues in Columbia County. The Commission also conducts public hearings and advises the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on Comprehensive Plan, Development Ordinance amendments. In coordination with the county’s Planning Manager, the commission also reviews development applications and makes recommendations on amendments to the county’s long-range Comprehensive Plan and its Zoning and Subdivision and Partitioning ordinances.
Solid Waste Advisory Committee OPEN SEAT
The Solid Waste Advisory Committee serves in an advisory and technical capacity to Board on matters relating to how the county manages solid waste disposal and recycling services. Committee members provide feedback and make recommendations regarding solid waste policies, regulations, and programs, as well as the operation of the county’s transfer station in St. Helens. The new members will also assist in updating the county’s twenty-year solid waste management plan, which is currently undergoing revisions. The plan is a long-range strategy on how the county will manage garbage, use methods to reduce, reuse and recycle trash, and manage regional disposal sites and programs.
Traffic Safety Commission OPEN SEATS
The Traffic Safety Commission works to prevent and reduce the loss of life, human suffering, and economic costs resulting from traffic crashes. The commission is a forum to voice traffic safety concerns and evaluate related issues and provide advice to the Columbia County Board of Commissioners on traffic, road, and safety issues. Because county roads do not stop at the county line, the Commission promotes traffic safety throughout Oregon Department of Transportation Region 2.
Transportation/Road Advisory Committee OPEN SEAT
The Transportation/Roads Advisory Committee acts as a liaison between local communities and the County Public Works director. TRAC members gather public input on the county’s multi-modal transportation system and represent the community in regard to transportation concerns. These can include road operating policy, potential capital improvement projects or renovation plans, and overall department budget and funding.