The Road Division of Columbia County’s Public Works department pays for road work from funds received from a number of sources. This includes Oregon’s state-wide gas tax, vehicle registration fees, truck weight mile taxes, aggregate fees and funds from the federal government. (Federal funds are distributed by the state through grants.)  By law, all money received from the state and federal governments is to be used for maintenance and upkeep of our road system, and must be spent within the Road Division. This money cannot be shared with other departments or agencies. The majority of the county’s road funds (about 72 percent) come from the state gas tax and vehicle registration fees. The state gas tax comes from a statewide pool which is divided between ...

Columbia County has scheduled a series of public forums to discuss service cuts and possible fare decreases to CC Rider, the county’s transit service. The forums come before a scheduled formal public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 8, 2020. County residents, transit users, business owners and other stakeholders are encouraged to attend. Bus runs need to be cut because fares, grants and other income does not cover operating costs. CC Rider receives about $2,523,313 annually in grants, fares and contributions, while current service levels cost $2,837,256 to maintain. This causes an annual deficit of $313,000. The failure of the county’s November 2019 ballot measure to form a service district that would have given CC Rider a stable source of ...

The Columbia County Board of Commissioners has adopted a report that details new revenue sources that have the potential to improve the county’s fiscal position over the next three to five years. The report, entitled “Fiscal Sustainability in Columbia County: A Path Forward” is the result of months of technical work and discussion regarding revenues and expenditures as well as funding needs for the county. The board utilized the services of ECONorthwest to research more than a dozen possible revenue sources that would fund a variety of county services. An ad-hoc advisory committee of residents and representatives of county business, public health, education and economic development interests provided feedback on the possible methods and to inform the process.  ...

Tell us how you think we should develop the county's parks. The citizen-led Columbia County Parks Advisory Committee would like to hear from you as it updates the Parks Master Plan. Take our survey. The Columbia County Parks Advisory Committee is asking residents to provide input on the county’s park system in preparation for updating and streamlining its Parks Master Plan. The county has created a survey, which will be available through December 31. Columbia County manages 13 parks and trails that offer a variety of amenities including tent and RV camping, boat launches, trails, picnic facilities and horse corrals. The Advisory Committee is interested in learning from park users about which amenities it can improve or add, and which pa...

Permanent tax rate would support CC Rider; possibly extend service Columbia County commissioners will host a public hearing on Wednesday, August 7, at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the formation of a service district to support CC Rider, the county’s transit service. Commissioners will take comments from the public before voting on a ballot measure title and description the new district. This is the second hearing on the subject; the first was on July 10, A service district will give CC Rider a permanent source of funding to plan for and grow the bus service. Currently, CC Rider is on restricted routes because of the lack of funding and debt obligations. A service district would also allow CC Rider to remain under the guidance of the County Board of Commissioners with support f...

Interested in roads and transportation, and how Columbia County plans and manages our roads? Then apply to join our Transportation/Roads Advisory Committee. TRAC members act as a liaison between local communities and the County Public Works director. They 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. Apply online at: co.columbia.or.us/files/boc/volunteer_interest_form.pdf