Three Washington County commissioners approved contracts, committee appointments and a pay plan amendment Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the board's first meeting since Chair Kathryn Harrington announced her resignation.

Commissioner Jason Snider presided as chair pro tem at the 6:30 p.m. session in Hillsboro. Both Harrington and Vice Chair Jerry Willey were listed as excused, leaving Commissioners Nafisa Fai, Pam Treece and Snider as the only members present, according to draft meeting minutes.

Snider opened by reading a statement about Harrington's departure. Fourteen residents then addressed the board during public comment, raising concerns about leadership conduct, decorum, bias, racism and ethics in government.

Before public comment began, Snider proposed amending board rules so everyone signed up at the start of the meeting could speak for two minutes, with a separate five-minute window afterward. Treece moved to adopt the change. Fai seconded. The vote was 3-0.

The board approved five consent-agenda items on a 3-0 vote, with Fai moving and Treece seconding:

  • MO 26-227: Increased the expenditure limit for public relations services under an existing request for qualifications.
  • MO 26-228: Authorized a special procurement and contract amendment with Wyatt Fertig, doing business as w Design LLC, for project management of centralized library collections.
  • MO 26-229: Authorized a contract with Forest Grove-based nonprofit Adelante Mujeres for its Promotora program, which trains Spanish-speaking community health workers to connect residents to healthcare resources.
  • RO 26-93: Amended the fiscal year 2026-27 pay plan and position and salary report.
  • MO 26-230: Authorized purchase orders for illumination, traffic signal and intelligent transportation systems equipment.

No dollar amounts for the contracts appeared in the draft minutes.

Committee appointments

Under a separate vote (MO 26-231, 3-0), the board appointed Matt Traverso to the Rural Roads Operations & Maintenance Advisory Committee and reappointed Meredith Cook to the Urban Roads Maintenance District Advisory Committee. Both terms run from Thursday, Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2030. County Administrative Officer Tanya Ange provided comments on the item.

Resignation backdrop

Harrington announced her resignation Monday, Sept. 21, with her last day set for Friday, Oct. 2. The move followed a Sept. 15 incident in which she made an obscene gesture toward Fai during a public work session, as first reported by the Hillsboro News-Times.

In the county's Monday, Sept. 21 announcement, Snider said the county would continue working together to ensure a smooth transition.

Fai and Treece are competing in a Nov. 3 runoff to succeed Harrington as county chair. Washington County is Oregon's second most-populous county, and the chair leads the board overseeing a $2 billion budget, The Oregonian reported.

The meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m. The next board meeting date was not listed in the minutes.