Committee Members Needed

The Union County Board of Commissioners are accepting applications from qualified volunteers interested in serving on one or more of the various committees with current openings as listed below. Interested citizens are invited to submit a completed Advisory Committee Application. Applications are available below or at the Union County Administrative Office located at 1106 K Avenue in La Grande.

Advisory Committee Application

Ambulance District Advisory Committee

This committee shall provide recommendations to the Union County Commissioners on the operation of the ambulance service district. Members of this committee consist of three individuals from the (437) telephone prefix area, three from the (562) telephone prefix area and five from the remaining county telephone prefixes for a total of eleven members who may serve a four year term.  There are currently five committee openings, including three members from Elgin, one from Union, and one from either La Grande, North Powder, Cove, or Imbler.

Health & Human Services Advisory Committee

This advisory group is appointed to serve as the Mental Health Advisory Committee, the local Alcohol & Drug Planning Committee and the Public Health Advisory Committee serving as a liaison between the Center for Human Development and the Union County Commission. Areas of representation include Grande Ronde Hospital, a physician, a state agency, a school district, a small community member, an at-large member, a client representative and a member with interest or experience in developing programs dealing with alcohol problems. Appointed to four year terms. There is currently one committee member opening for a client representative/consumer of services.

Local Public Safety Coordinating Council

The Local Public Safety Coordinating Council coordinates the public safety plans, policies, operations, and strategies of local government agencies to improve the local public safety system’s cost-effectiveness and responsiveness to the needs of the community; collaborates on the development of solutions to problems in the intergovernmental operation of the public safety system; and coordinates policies to improve that system and use evidence-based strategies to address critical issues affecting community safety.  Appointed members include a County Commissioner, the Director of Community Corrections, the Juvenile Department Director, a health director, a mental health director, a representative of community-based nonprofit organizations that provide services to victims of crime, and one lay member.  There is currently one committee member opening for a lay member.

Opioid Abatement Advisory Committee

The Opioid Abatement Advisory Committee will collaborate on opioid issues and treatment needs in Union County, identify strategies to address the treatment needs, and make recommendations to the board of commissioners on the expenditure of opioid funds received from financial settlements awarded to the county as redress for the harms caused by pharmaceutical companies in creating an opioid crisis.  Committee members will include a County Commissioner, County Sheriff or designee, District Attorney or designee, Jail Lieutenant or designee, Treatment Court representative, Behavioral Health Court representative, Community Corrections Director or designee, Juvenile Department Director or designee, a Center for Human Development representative, a Grande Ronde Hospital representative, a City of La Grande representative, and two lay members.  There is currently two open positions for lay members.

Union County Planning Commission

The Planning Commission consists of nine members appointed for four-year terms. The Union County Planning Commission was involved in the development of and is periodically charged with reviewing the county comprehensive land use plan and zoning, partition and subdivision ordinances. These documents direct land uses and review of land use application by the Planning Commission for the Board of Commissioners. There is one position available.