BEFORE THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR COLUMBIA COUNTY MEETING NOTICE SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE UPDATE Notice is hereby given that the Columbia County Board of Commissioner will hold a special meeting daily until further notice starting Friday March 13, 2020 at or after 9:45 a.m. These meetings will be held via tele-communication from the Commissioner’s Meeting Room, Columbia County Courthouse, 230 Strand Street, St. Helens, OR.  The purpose of the meeting is to hold preparedness and update information regarding the COVID19 virus.   Other County business as necessary Executive Session under 192.660(2)(d) This is a public meeting except during the Executive Session. If you would like to call in please visit www.c...

Amended 31-2020 In the matter of Adopting a temporary Policy to Close County Facilities to the Public in Response to COVID-19.pdf For immediate release: March 26, 2020 PRESS RELEASE The Columbia County Board of Commissioners signed the amended Order No. 31-2020, on March 25, 2020 “In the Matter of Adopting a Temporary Policy to Close County Facilities to the Public in Response to COVID-19. The Columbia County Commissioners are committed to making every effort to stop and prevent the spread of the virus to our citizens. In that endeavor, we will be closing Columbia County offices in the courthouse and of site facilities with the exception of the Columbia County Transfer Station. Services will be provided online and by phone. Departmental phone numbers are l...

30-2020 In the Matter of Adopting a Temporary Policy to RestrictActivities at County Parks in Response to COVID-19.pdf For immediaterelease March 24, 2020 COUNTY ADOPTS TEMPORARY ORDER RESTRICTING COUNTY PARKS ACTIVITIES On Tuesday, March 24, the Board of Commissioners of Columbia County approved Order 30-2020 adopting a temporary policy to restrict activities at County Parks in response to Covid-19, effectively immediately.  During the BOC’s 10 a.m. daily meeting, Commissioner Margaret Magruder moved and Commissioner Henry Heimuller seconded to approve Order 30-2020. The Motion carried unanimously. Under the order, Big Eddy Park shall now be closed. All outdoor sports courts and playground equipment areas in County Parks shall also be closed.  All o...

COLUMBIA COUNTY DECLARES A STATE OF EMERGENCY OVER CORONAVIRUS On March 13, 2020 The Board of Commissioners signed Resolution 25-2020 “In the Matter of Declaring a Local State of Emergency Due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) to make certain we are able to swiftly deploy the personnel and resources necessary to address, the possible occurrence of coronavirus in Columbia County.  This state of emergency gives Columbia County Oregon Health Authority and Office of Emergency Management all resources at the state’s disposal to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The state of emergency will remain in effect until August 13, 2020 Columbia County has declared a state of emergency under ORS 401.309 that authorizes the Board of County Commissioners for Columbi...

Jan. 9, 2010    The Columbia County Board of Commissioners yesterday approved a Strategic Plan for the county. The Plan, which was developed by a team of staff members from various departments and work levels, contains goals and outcomes that the county will work towards in the next one to three years. Internally focused, the plan identifies three major areas the county will address. They include Communications, Organizational Excellence, and Economic Stability and Economic Development. Individual strategic initiatives and action plans to achieve outcomes identified in the Plan will be developed and implemented by additional teams. Read the memo to the board and view the goals and outcomes →

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.&n...

November 4, 2019 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 Ja...

October 17, 2019 The Historic Columbia County Courthouse is a fixture in this area. An icon emblazoned on logos, labels, signs and many other items, it is a meme of sorts, an image that identifies our local culture and pride. Built 114 years ago, the courthouse, which is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, emits a sense of stability, of long standing strength and dignity. But not all things are meant to, or are able to, last forever. Though the bulk of the County Courthouse is constructed of stone and is in good shape, some of the exterior wooden elements are showing their age.  Repairing and replacing historic structures can be tricky. No one wants to lose the details that make a building beautiful, but sometimes those details are difficult to replicate,...

October 17, 2019 Do you know how it feels when you’re in a hurry, or have travelled a long way, and you come up to a “road closed” sign? Frustrating, right? Have you ever thought about going around those signs? Well, I’m here to tell you – DON’T! If there’s one thing road managers hate to do, it’s close roads. But they do so for a reason – and very good reasons at that. Roads are closed when it’s unsafe to travel on them. Construction, flooding, and landslides are often the reason. Construction workers need space to work, and when a road is closed, they know they can move about safely. A motorist driving up to or through a construction area can take them by surprise or hurt them, let alone cause other significant damag...

June 13, 2019 Safety and access improvements on Gable Road west of Highway 30 began this week under a contract between Columbia County’s Public Works Department and TFT Construction Inc. of Scappoose, Oregon.  Sidewalks, bike lanes and new storm and sanitary sewer lines, among other upgrades, will be added to the roadway from Columbia Boulevard to Highway 30. Two flasher units to aid in safety to and from school for the students will also be installed at the west and east ends of the school.  The contractors are currently relocating utilities and have completed staging areas along the work zone. Major detours will begin after June 13 – the last day of school for students at St. Helens High.  Gable Road will remain open to two-way traffic from Colum...