Washington County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan

Washington County seeks a qualified consultant with demonstrated expertise in developing FEMA-approved Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans (NHMPs). The selected contractor will partner closely with the County to complete the required five-year update of its NHMP through a collaborative process that engages internal staff, external planning partners, and community stakeholders.

This effort will include the contractor:

• Working under the guidance of the County Project Manager, ensuring decisions and actions are co-developed and aligned with County priorities.
  • Jointly planning, coordinating, and facilitating all meetings with active participation from County staff and planning partners.
  • Documenting discussions, decisions, and outcomes in a transparent manner accessible to all stakeholders.
  • Managing correspondence in a way that fosters open communication between the contractor, County Project Manager, and all participating jurisdictions.
• Collaborating with existing and new planning partners to update current annexes and co-create new jurisdiction-specific annexes for inclusion in the updated NHMP. This includes:
  • Hosting collaborative workshops and working sessions.
  • Ensuring all partners have meaningful input and shared ownership of the final product.
• Providing technical guidance as a collaborative advisor, supporting County staff and partners throughout the process to ensure FEMA compliance. This includes:
  • Drafting and refining plan components through iterative feedback loops.
  • Incorporating stakeholder input at every stage before finalization.
• Developing an onboarding tool kit in partnership with the County, including standard forms, templates, surveys, and guidance materials. This toolkit will enable the County to onboard future planning participants following the completion of this project.

The selected contractor must demonstrate a track record of successfully completing FEMA approved NHMPs in multi-jurisdictional contexts, with an emphasis on facilitating inclusive, transparent, and collaborative planning processes.

Washington County is a suburban county located on the west side of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. Its boundaries extend from the City of Portland to the Oregon coast range. The current population is approximately 617,713 and is growing. It has a mix of urban, suburban, and rural areas. The eastern half of the County is comprised of service industries, light manufacturing, residential, and commercial activity. It is relatively densely populated. The western half is primarily agricultural and private forest lands across rural settings, together with several smaller incorporated and unincorporated communities.

The County seat of government is in Hillsboro, Oregon. The County has experienced substantial growth over the last fifty years principally in the electronics and high-tech industries. Fifty-seven percent of the state’s population growth in the past five years has occurred in Washington County.

Washington County is one of the most diverse counties in Oregon with Hispanic or Latino of any race (19%) and Asian (12%) being the largest non-white groups. Ten percent (10%) of the population has a disability, seventeen (17%) percent are born outside of the United States, and twenty-five (25%) precent speak languages other than English.

The current multi-jurisdictional NHMP include the following partners:

These jurisdictions have committed to participate in the plan update, for a total of 11 planning participants. For this project, the City of Cornelius, Cornelius Fire District, City of Forest Grove, and Forest Grove Fire District will each need to have separate annexes developed. In the current plan, the two fire districts participated jointly with the cities.

Additionally, the two cities and four special districts listed below have committed to participate in this project, as new planning partners: