Board of Commissioners
Mission
The Union County Board of Commissioners, as a body and as individually elected officials, shall strive to provide to the citizens of Union County cost effective, professional, and courteous service within budgeted funds, maximizing use of all available dollars from state and federal sources.
- We shall fulfill the responsibilities assigned to us in the U.S. Constitution and the Laws and Constitution of the State of Oregon.
- We shall provide services in a transparent, honest, and efficient manner.
- We will encourage public involvement and cooperation to identify present and future needs and solutions.
- We are dedicated to providing positive leadership and quality service.
About the Board of Commissioners
The Union County Board of Commissioners is made up of 3 non-partisan positions. Commissioners are elected quadrennially with Positions No. 1 and No. 2 elected at the same time (2018, 2022, etc.) and position No. 3 in the intervening years (2020, 2024 etc.).
The position of Board Chair rotates among the Commissioners each year in January. As the County’s governing body, the Board of Commissioners has the leading role in policy, legislative and administration duties. It alone is empowered to pass an ordinance, adopt a budget or a comprehensive plan or give official status to policy or course of action.
Although the Commission shares the actual administration of county affairs with the elective department heads, it is, nevertheless, the focal point for decisions that must be made locally with respect to county affairs.
The Union County Board of Commissioners has adopted the practice of making primary liaison assignments to each member. These assignments allocate liaison responsibilities for various county departments, boards and commissions, advisory committees, intergovernmental agencies and outside organizations to individual commissioners. Liaison assignments are, however, necessarily limited in scope and responsibility for the authority of the commission is collective on both policy and administrative matters. The liaison role involves communication and advice, but final decisions can be made only by the governing body as a whole.