The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners is making strides toward establishing more transparency and better lobbying practices. In a recent work session last Tuesday, Commissioners Julia Brim-Edwards and Shannon Singleton discussed a draft ordinance that would impose new lobbying reporting and registration requirements, as reported by Multnomah County. The ordinance, aimed at heightening public trust and ensuring that county decisions reflect the public's interest, draws inspiration from existing laws adopted by the State in 1974 and subsequent local government measures.
Commissioner Shannon Singleton stressed the importance of transparency, stating, "We need to have easy and clear laws around lobbying to build the community’s trust in its elected officials and hold us accountable," as she laid out the case for the draft ordinance. Echoing her concern, Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards emphasized looking at various other local ordinances as a framework for their approach. According to the same Multnomah County news article, the session homed in on key components, including adjustments to reporting thresholds, questions on how burdensome these requirements might be, and quarterly public posting of commissioners' calendars.
The proposed ordinance includes certain provisions such as registering and reporting lobbying activities exceeding five hours per calendar quarter and reporting any gifts or lobbying expenses over $50 within three business days. Commissioner Brim-Edwards suggested examining if the five-hour threshold is appropriate, comparing it to existing measures like Portland's eight-hour requirement.
Topics of prohibited employment and financial gains post-commission service by county officials were also broached, with the draft ordinance outlining a cooling-off period where board members cannot engage with any entities they previously oversaw. Commissioner Meghan Moyer expressed concerns on this matter, highlighting potential collateral consequences. "I don't want to create weird, unintended consequences where people can't be employed,” she shared with the other commissioners, pointing to possible complications of the draft ordinance. These discussions are ongoing as Commissioners Brim-Edwards and Singleton aim to refine their draft based on feedback. They are seeking public input before proposing it for formal enactment, per the county's news release.
