Washington County Board of Commissioners/ Housing Authority Directors Public Meeting, 11/03/26

The Washington County Housing Authority Board of Directors met on November 3, 2026, before the County Board of Commissioners meeting. The Housing Authority unanimously adopted a limited partnership policy framework and authorized the executive director to execute qualifying partnership agreements. The framework sets affordability and sponsor-qualification requirements, annual compliance monitoring, and fee schedules: for-profit partners pay a $1,500 application fee, a minimum $50,000 closing fee plus legal costs, and annual fees of at least $20,000 or 20% of the projected property-tax exemption; nonprofit partners receive a waived application fee and lower closing and annual fees. The executive director’s streamlined authority is limited to qualifying projects within a 300-unit annual cap, excluding acquisition and preservation projects, and creates no new spending authority. Projects outside the framework would return to the board for case-by-case approval. No vendor selection, bid award, or conventional purchase was identified.

At the county meeting, commissioners unanimously approved vacating a drainage easement to facilitate affordable housing and adopted Ordinance 918, which removes a conflicting $8 fee amount from county code while retaining the $10 public-land-corner fee in the county fee schedule. They also approved, 3–1, annexation of approximately 28 acres into Clean Water Services; staff said the annexation would serve an already-approved Hillsboro industrial development. Public commenters raised concerns about workforce benefits in housing development and other local issues, but no additional procurement action was taken.