Thirty county commissioners, judges, and chairs representing every corner of the state, convened in-person in Hermiston, Oregon on June 15, for a one-day deep-dive into critical policy and organizational strategy discussions at the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) Legislative Retreat.

The retreat aids the association’s legislative direction for the next year’s session. This year, the retreat offered a more robust framework, incorporating targeted legislative goal planning for AOC’s long-term, strategic planning process. 

Top objectives for the county elected officials at the 2022 meeting included:

  • Reviewing the AOC legislative engagement framework, strategies, and priorities; 
  • Opening a dialogue on managing issue interests, while preserving strategic goals and priorities; and 
  • Developing goal statements assigned to the AOC Legislative Committee as a part of AOC’s multi-faceted strategic planning process.

“This meeting offered our membership the opportunity to have targeted discussions on how we focus our priorities to best elevate the work of counties in the legislative process from now into the future,” said Columbia County Commissioner Margaret Magruder.

Umatilla Commissioner John Shafer noted, “in addition to having meaningful dialogue about what comes next for AOC in our legislative approach, we, in Umatilla County, were delighted to have hosted a cross-section of the AOC membership. These peer-to-peer connections allow us to learn from each other and understand what unites us in our advocacy work.”

Participants at the retreat engaged in large-group and small, peer breakout group discussions to review critical questions on the future of AOC in two essential areas — leadership, advocacy, and policy; and strategic partnerships.

These overarching themes were identified as two of six member-identified focus areas at the AOC Board Retreat on March 15, which kicked-off the organization’s strategic planning process.

While the work tasked to this body was tailored to the legislative advocacy arm of the organization, it will soon be folded into the association’s broader strategic plan draft to be presented to the AOC Board of Directors at its July 11 meeting.

AOC President and Umatilla County Commissioner George Murdock leads this strategic planning process as part of the AOC President’s Initiative.  “I’m pleased to see the robust discussions and unity of our membership in redefining who we are and where we want to be,” said Murdock. This project has been comprehensive and demanding and some of our members have been involved a number of times. I am also reminded it is not something we are likely to do again for probably a decade or more, so my hope is that when we emerge from this process, and AOC First Vice President and Klamath County Commissioner Derrick DeGroot and AOC Second Vice President and Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell take us forward, it will be evident to AOC members that the effort was worth it,” commented Murdock on the process. 

“As an aside, during the process, some of our members have had a chance to become familiar with parts of Oregon they might not have experienced before. That too has been a key initiative of my predecessors,” said Murdock.

The process offers a number of opportunities for members to provide input on AOC’s goals. In the month of June, existing member committees have convened to develop goal statements and strategies that align with the body of work of the respective committee.

In his vision, Murdock intends to maximize opportunities for members to weigh in on what they want their association to look like as illustrated during the collaborative membership retreat where the process was initiated.

Conversations on other identified themes have been held in AOC’s Membership Committee; Budget and Finance Committee; County Solution Advisory Committee; and AOC affiliate, the Oregon Association of Engineers and Surveyors (OACES). The resulting goals identified in each of the meetings will be added to the overall strategic plan draft for review by the board and membership. For a full description on the process, click here.

“Our work at AOC is centered on elevating county issues, and our members guide this process. This retreat provided an important platform for laying out key policy discussions and setting the stage for the engagement process for the 2023 Legislative Session and beyond,” commented AOC Legislative Director Mallorie Roberts. “The AOC legislative affairs team is excited to see where we can go from here in our advocacy work.”

All AOC steering committees convened during the retreat to highlight critical policy issues bubbling up during the interim that are likely to be elevated during the upcoming legislative session.

In addition to discussions on the organization and policy process, members of the AOC Legislative Committee approved resolutions that will be carried at the National Association of Counties (NACo) Annual Conference in Colorado, July 21-24. Resolutions approved at the NACo Annual Conference guide the work of AOC’s federal advocacy partner for the next year, a crucial component of county advocacy work at the national level.

A number of AOC members and partners listened to the retreat virtually.

Many elected officials and AOC staff that attended the retreat also participated in the Eastern Oregon Economic Summit. The summit offered field and industry tours; general sessions; and a series of discussion panels focused on regional economic updates, federal and state legislative updates, program and industry updates, and more. 

Union County Commissioner Donna Beverage participated as a panel speaker in the summit, presenting on the Upper Grande Ronde Sub-Basin Place-Based Planning Project. Beverage’s presentation highlighted the success of one of four place-based planning pilot projects approved and supported by 2015 legislation that build collaborative and inclusive processes at the regional level to address region-specific water challenges. More on her presentation can be found here.

For questions or additional feedback on the retreat, please contact AOC Legislative Director, Mallorie Roberts.

Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate