Benton County Advisory Boards & Committees

Get Involved!

Many opportunities exist for Benton County residents interested in volunteering to serve our community by being active members of our many advisory boards, working groups, and committees. With the help of our volunteers and student interns, Benton County can better deliver its varied services to county residents.

Board-appointed and State-mandated Committees

Some of the committees on the list below are state-mandated (noted with a superscript '1'). Other volunteer positions are appointed by the Board of Commissioners (noted with a superscript '2'). For a Board-appointed position, please submit an application (PDF), and an informal fifteen-minute interview will be arranged between you and the three commissioners.

More Information on the Issues

Use these bookmarks to jump to more information further down the page on Benton County boards and committees issues:

Alcohol, Other Drug Prevention & Mental Health • Children & Families • Community Planning/Buildings & Land • County Government • Elections • Fairgrounds • Health/Environment • Law Enforcement/Public Safety • Libraries • Parks • Transportation • Utility Districts

See a full list of all state-mandated and board-appointed boards and committees.

If you have suggestions on other ways in which you would like to donate your time to Benton County, we welcome your ideas (Send an e-mail).

Alcohol, Other Drug & Mental Health

Alcohol, Other Drug & Mental Health Advisory Committee^1,2

This committee meets the first Tuesday of every month from 12 pm–1:15 pm in the Columbia Conference Room (downstairs) at the Benton County Health Department.

Children & Families

Commission on Children and Families and Yes for Kids (ORS 417.300)^1,2
Commission on Children and Families Subcommittees: The Positive Youth Development Committee (includes: Pregnancy Prevention, Media Campaign, Alcohol & Drug Prevention, and Juvenile Crime Prevention), the Early Childhood Committee, and the Diversity Committee.

If you are interested in any of the Commission's subcommittees, you are welcome to join. Contact us for more information.

Community Planning/Buildings & Land

Board of Property Tax Appeals (ORS 309.20)^1,2
Courthouse Preservation Committee² (see Web page)
Farm Board of Review (ORS 308.345)^1,2
Friends of Crystal Lake Cemetery
Historic Resources Commission (ORS 358.622)^1,2
Planning Commission (ORS 215.020)² (see the list of current members)

County Government

Budget Committee (ORS 294.336)^1,2
Charter Review Committee²
Citizen Advisory Committees (per County Comprehensive Plan)² (see the list of current members)

Residents are welcome to get more involved in county government by attending the Board of Commissioners' public meetings every Tuesday at 11:30 am at the Benton Plaza Building in the basement meeting room. The building is located on the corner of Fourth and Monroe in downtown Corvallis (see the Commissioners' meeting schedule).

Elections

The Benton County Elections Office invites volunteers to work with us in order to provide opportunities for them and services to the voters of Benton County.

OSU Volunteer Interns:Popular with students, this internship offers a broad mixture of government, legal, office and election experiences, all within walking distance of the campus. Those wanting to serve an internship in order to meet graduation requirements will should consider the Elections Office. Students get instant hands-on experience in all areas and at all levels of the office in order to clearly understand how elections are run in Oregon. The number of credits earned is determined individually by how much time each student is willing to work. Working schedules remain flexible in order to fit with class schedules.

High School Volunteer Interns: High school students with an interest in learning more about government often ask if they can volunteer in the Elections Office. In addition to valuable learning skills they can earn extra credit in school or compliment their resumes in preparation for college entry or scholarships. High School internships generally occur during the summer and can last from a few weeks to a few months.

Paid Part-Time Employees: Trained volunteers and interns become an important part of this office. Their volunteer training qualifies them to work in the future as employees. These positions are part-time and very popular. The first OSU student employee worked with us through two Presidential Elections, leaving to enter medical school.

What's your Major? If you have an interest in accounting, administration, business, computer programming, elections, GIS, government, law, media, national or international affairs, politics, or public relations, this office can offer you a unique experience within walking distance of campus.

Interested? The first step is to contact Jill Van Buren, CEA, Supervisor of Elections,
Benton County Courthouse, 121 NW 4th St, Room 13. E-mail or phone 541-766-6834, fax 541-766-6757.