Lane County Announcement: Applications Open for the Housing Land Banking Program Task Force
Lane County is seeking community members to serve on a limited-duration, non-partisan Task Force that will shape the development of the County’s new Housing Land Banking Program. This program is a key action identified in the 2019 Affordable Housing Action Plan and represents a major investment in Lane County’s long-term housing strategy.
Background
On April 1, 2025, staff presented implementation options from the 2019 Affordable Housing Action Plan to the Lane County Board of Commissioners, including a focused discussion on establishing a countywide land banking program. The Board expressed strong support for staff to continue working to establish a land banking program here in Lane County.
In late May, the Board adopted ORDER 25-05-20-07, establishing a Task Force to ensure that the program is designed with strong community involvement and grounded in best practices and the County’s adopted policy goals.
With approval of the FY 25–26 Lane County Budget, the Board has seeded the future Land Banking Program’s revolving loan fund with $2 million in Oregon Video Lottery Funds, enabling the County to begin acquiring land once the program framework is finalized and adopted.
The Task Force will contribute directly to the development of the draft program that will be presented to the Board for consideration and adoption. Once the program is adopted, the Task Force will be disbanded.
Task Force Commitment
Potential applicants should consider their ability to meet the time commitment should they be selected and appointed to the Task Force. It is anticipated that the Task Force will meet for 6 to 8 one-hour meetings, however, this may change as the Task Force begins its work drafting the program. As stated, the Task Force will be disbanded following Board consideration and approval. Tentative first meeting of the Task Force is Scheduled for the last week of February or first week of March 2026.
Ideal Candidate
The Task Force will be responsible for drafting the County’s Housing Land Banking Program. The concept of land banking is not a new one and there are statutes and rules regulating the acquisition and dispensation of real property by municipal (county) agencies. The Task Force is being asked to create the goals of the program, the measures of success, the opportunities for improvement, the cycles of review and reporting, and most importantly provide the community member insight and values that will ensure all efforts are made to create a program that promotes the best stewardship of public funds.
If you are an educator, project manager, team leader/executive, serve in a role that requires regular customer service, or just have a strong commitment to maintaining public trust you are encouraged to apply!
How To Apply
Please complete an application, which can be found HERE.
Task Force Structure
Per Board ORDER 25-05-20-07, the Task Force is to be comprised of seven voting members with each Commissioner selecting one member and the County Administrator selecting the remaining two voting positions. At the first meeting a Chair and Vice Chair will be selected, and the Task Force will be briefed on the requirements of Oregon Public Meeting Law and Roberts Rules of Order. The Task Force meetings will be conducted in a hybrid format allowing for in-person or remote attendance of Task Force members, staff, and the public. It is staff’s intention to provide agendas for the first six meetings and to get those meetings scheduled by the completion of the second meeting.
What is Next
The County will accept letters of interest for 30 days (January 9, 2026, to February 9, 2026). The County Administrator will then convene a select group of county staff to review and select applications for the Board’s review, consideration, and appointment. Appointments to the Task Force are slated to occur at the first or second Board of County Commissioners Meeting in late February or early March 2026. Appointed community members will then be contacted by staff to get the first two Task Force Meeting dates scheduled (March 2026). If practicable the Task Force will meet every three weeks until the draft program is complete (6-8 one-hour meetings).
Questions
Please contact Eric Mongan, Housing Production Manager, at [email protected] or 541-731-4215.