Join the HAC

Washington County's Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) is currently recruiting to fill vacant positions, if you are interested in an exciting opportunity to help shape Washington County's housing policies and would like to learn more, click here.

Next HAC Meeting - 01/27/22

Due to COVID-19, upcoming HAC meetings will be via Zoom. The meetings are open to the public. Call info: see the monthly packet posted below for call-in numbers. Agendas are posted approximately one week before meetings.

Mission Statement

It is the mission of the Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) to advise the Housing Authority Board of Directors on policy matters, identify housing issues, and recommend programs and services for the low and moderate income residents of Washington County.

Committee Members

Committee members are appointed by the Housing Authority Board of Directors for a term of four years. Appointment to a second four-year term may be granted at the discretion of the Board.

The Housing Advisory Committee is represented by fifteen members, consisting of the following:

• Two (2) members being assisted by the Housing Authority;
• One (1) member involved in the Finance profession;
• One (1) member representative of the Elderly;
• One (1) member representative representative of Minority Groups;
• One (1) member drawn from officials of Social Service organizations;
• One (1) member drawn from either Design/Architecture/Engineer professions;
• One (1) member involved in Real Estate/Development/Construction;
• One (1) member involved in Urban and Regional Planning;
• One (1) member involved in Property Management;
• One (1) member involved in representing Veterans; and
• Four (4) members-at-large.

The Committee complies in all respects with ORS Chapter 192.610 through 192.710 commonly called the Public Meeting Law.

Purpose and Duties

Pursuant to Housing Authority Resolution Order (HA-RO) 91-14, the duties of the HAC shall include but not limited to the following:

1. Identify, consider and recommend housing goals and policies. Review the Housing Assistance Plan and advise the Board on its adoption;
2. Identify and consider the community's needs for lower income housing and the resources available to meet those needs and recommend to the Housing Authority programs to meet those goals;
3. Advise the Housing Authority on applications to the federal and state government for housing programs;
4. Make recommendations to the Housing Authority for changes or revisions in policies of the Housing Authority;
5. Review and recommend action on the budgets of the Housing Authority;
6. Review and make recommendations on other matters coming before the Housing Authority and perform such other advisory functions as many be referred to the committee by the Housing Authority.

Meeting Schedule

Generally, the Housing Advisory Committee meets every fourth Thursday of each month at 9:00 am. The usual physical meeting location is the conference room of the Department of Housing Services located at the Juvenile Building, 111 NE Lincoln Street, 2nd Floor Meeting Room 258, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124. Meetings are currently being held virtually through Zoom, you may find information on how to attend the virtual meetings in each month's packet.

Materials from meetings are available by clicking the highlighted material next to the meeting date in the schedule below.

2022 Meetings

2021 Meetings

2020 Meetings

2019 Meetings

2018 Meetings

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY

HOUSING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

BYLAWS

Revised June 20, 2017

ARTICLE 1 – NAME

The name of this Committee shall be the “Housing Advisory Committee” (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”).

ARTICLE II – PURPOSE

Pursuant to the Housing Authority of Washington County Board of Director’s Resolution No. HA 93-15 dated September 7, 1993, the duties and responsibilities of the Housing Advisory Committee shall include but not be limited to the following:

Identify, consider, and make recommendations for housing goals and policies to the Housing Authority of Washington County Board of Directors (“hereinafter “Board of Directors”);

Identify, consider, and make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the community’s needs for low income housing and the resources and programs available to meet those needs;

Advise the Board of Directors on the availability of and application procedures to obtain state and federal funding for housing programs;

Make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding changes or modifications to the policies of the Housing Authority of Washington County (hereinafter “Housing Authority”);

Review and recommend actions on the budgets of the Housing Authority;

Review and make recommendation on other housing matters coming before the Housing Authority and perform such other advisory functions as may be referred to the Committee by the Housing Authority.  

ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Representation

The Committee shall be made up of not more than fifteen (15) Members, consisting to the extent practicable of the following:

• Two (2) Members who are persons being assisted by the Housing Authority;
• One (1) Member involved in the Finance profession;
• One (1) Member representative of the Elderly; 
• One (1) Member representative of Minority Groups;
• One (1) Member drawn from officials of Social Service organizations; 
• One (1) Member drawn from either Design/ Architectural/ Engineer professions;
• One (1) Member drawn from Real Estate/ Development/Construction;
• One (1) Member involved in Urban and Regional Planning;
• One (1) Member involved in Property Management; 
• One (1) Member representing Veterans; and
• Four (4) Members at large. 

Section 2 – Appointment and Terms

All Members shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and shall:

1. Be appointed for terms of four (4) years with reappointment at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall also have authority to appoint temporary members as necessary to fill midterm vacancies until a formal appointment process can be completed.
2. Serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms. Upon written recommendation from the Executive Director of the Housing Authority, the Board of Directors may make exceptions to the term limitations if it determines, in its discretion, that it is in the best interests of the Housing Authority to do so. 
3. Be appointed to a staggered schedule so that the terms of no more than one third of the Members expire each year. 
4. When a vacancy occurs by resignation, expiration of term or otherwise, notice of such vacancy shall be forwarded to County Administration to initiate recruitment within two (2) weeks following actual notice of such vacancy. The Executive Director of the Housing Authority shall solicit, receive and transmit to the Board of Directors a list of nominations for such vacant positions as are received from the public. Following the receipt of nominations, the Board, by majority vote, may appoint an individual from the list to fill the vacancy. If no name is accepted by the Board of Directors, the matter shall be continued to a subsequent Board meeting until a suitable candidate is appointed. The Board of Directors shall use best efforts to ensure that vacancies are filled in a timely manner to allow for Committee business to proceed in an orderly fashion.

Section 3 – Absences

Members will endeavor to attend each Committee meeting in person, when possible; to arrive to scheduled meetings on time; to attend the full meeting; and to alert the Executive Director and Committee Chair in advance if this is not possible to ensure quorum and to plan the agendas accordingly. Upon three (3) consecutive absences or four (4) total absences from scheduled Committee meetings within a year, the Committee Chair shall notify the Member and request that he or she resign from the Committee or resume participation. Should the Member fail to resume participation, the Member shall be considered to have resigned their position effective at the conclusion of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee following notification, unless excused by the Committee Chair. 

ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS

Section 1 – Officers

The Officers of the Committee shall be the Chair, the Vice Chair and Secretary.

Section 2 – Duties

Chair - The Chair shall preside over all meetings of the Committee. At each meeting of the Committee, the Chair shall provide such recommendation and information as he/she may consider proper in accordance with Committee purposes set forth in Article II. 

Vice Chair - The Vice Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in his/her absence. 

Secretary - The Executive Director of the Housing Authority, or his/her designee, shall serve as a non-voting Secretary to the Committee and shall ensure that recorded or written minutes are taken at all meetings of the Committee and that all records of the Committee are maintained in accordance with the requirements of the Oregon Public Records Laws.

Section 3 – Elections

The Chair and Vice Chair shall be elected each year at the Annual Meeting of the Committee from among the current Members, and shall hold office for a period of one (1) year or until their successors are elected whichever is later. 

Should the offices of Chair or Vice Chair become vacant between elections, the Committee shall elect a successor to the vacant office at its next regular meeting who shall hold the office for the remainder of the term.  

Article V – RULES OF PROCEDURE

Section 1 – Quorum and Voting

For the purpose of conducting Committee business, a simple majority of the currently appointed Members shall constitute a quorum. Once a quorum has been has been confirmed to be present at a meeting, Committee business may be transacted during that meeting. Voting on action items shall be conducted by a voice vote when called for by the Chair. A majority vote by the Members present, constituting a quorum, shall be sufficient to approve any item before the Committee. In the event of a tie, the item shall not be approved.

Section 2 – Public Meetings Laws

All meetings of the Committee shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of ORS 192.610 to ORS 192.690 as may be amended from time to time.

Section 3 – Regularly Scheduled Meetings

Committee meetings shall be scheduled on a regular monthly basis on a day, time and place to be determined by the Committee. Notice of Committee meetings shall be posted in accordance with the procedures described in Section 7 of this Article. 

Section 4 – Special Meetings

The Chair of the Committee may, when deemed expedient or upon written request of two (2) Committee Members, call a special meeting for the purpose of transacting Committee business. Written notice of the Special Meeting setting forth the designated purpose for the meeting shall be delivered electronically via fax, e-mail or mailed to business or home address of each Committee Member at least two (2) days prior to the date of such Special Meeting; except where the purpose of the Special Meeting is to amend any provision of these Bylaws.  If a Special Meeting is called to amend provisions of these Bylaws, notice of the meeting shall be provided in the manner described above not less than seven (7) days in advance of the Special Meeting. At any Special Meeting, no business shall be conducted or considered other than that which is specified in the written notice scheduling the Special Meeting.

Section 5 – Emergency Meetings

In the event of an actual emergency, a meeting may be held upon less than twenty-four (24) hour notice provided, however, that the minutes for the meeting shall describe the emergency justifying deviation from the regular notice procedures set forth in Section 7 of this Article.

Section 6 – Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Committee shall be held upon a regular meeting date during the last six (6) months of the year. 

Section 7 – Notice of Meetings

Notice of Committee meetings shall be reasonably calculated to give notice to interested persons and the media, and shall include posting a copy of the agenda on a bulletin board in the Washington County Public Services Building. Written notice of Committee meetings shall be provided to Committee Members by fax, e-mail or mailing to their home or business address, not less than twenty four (24) hours preceding the meeting and shall include a copy of the agenda and the date, time and location of the Committee meeting.

Section 8 – Agenda

The agenda shall be prepared so as to provide reasonable notice of the principal subjects to be considered during any regular, special or emergency meeting of the Committee.

Section 9 – Rules of Order

Any agenda item may be taken out of order by consensus of the Committee Members present at the meeting.

ARTICLE VI – PUBLIC HEARINGS AND PARTICIPATION

Public hearings may be conducted by the Committee or a duly appointed subcommittee as necessary or required. The Committee may conduct investigation into matters of concern to the Committee and may receive public testimony on any matter material to the purposes of the Committee.

The Committee may provide a system for receiving written or oral communications from the public as a regular agenda item. All such communications shall be made a part of the record for the meeting.

ARTICLE VII – CONFLICT OF INTEREST

All Committee Members shall comply with potential or actual conflict of interest provisions for public officials set forth in ORS Chapter 244. All members with either an actual or potential conflict of interest shall publicly announce and disclose the nature of the conflict before participating in the affected matter giving rise to the conflict. If the Member has a potential conflict, following the announcement, he or she may participate in the action that gave rise to the potential conflict. If the Member has an actual conflict, following their announcement, the Member shall refrain from further participation in official action on the issue that gave rise to the conflict of interest.

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS

Amendments to these Bylaws shall be made: 

1. At a properly noticed meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present. Proposed amendments shall be mailed to each Committee Member not less than seven (7) days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered. Approval of any amendment shall require an affirmative vote by a majority of all appointed Committee Members; and
2. Approved by Resolution and Order or Minute Order adopted by the Board of Directors.