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 Finance and Taxation Department recently sent taxpayers their annual property tax statement. Payments are due by November 15. Property taxes pay for a number of critical services. These include public safety (law enforcement, fire and emergency services), parks, schools, refuse disposal, recycling, public transportation, public defense, elections, community justice and a host of other important municipal services. Columbia County will collect $78,991,571 in taxes from both businesses and private landowners this year.  But the majority of that amount doesn’t stay in county coffers – only 9.37 percent, or roughly $7.4 million goes into the county’s general fund. An additional 4.00 percent, or $3.1 million, goes to the Jail Operation Fund fr...

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