Benton County Commissioner Gabe Shepherd has announced a schedule of summer town halls throughout the county. Eight meetings have been scheduled for July and August. The first is this upcoming Wednesday.
A release from the County says the goals are to offer community members an opportunity to hear about County progress over the past year, ask questions, and voice concerns.
Each meeting will be about an hour, here’s the schedule:
- Wednesday, July 1, 5:00 p.m. at Corvallis Community Center
- Saturday, July 11, 11:30 a.m. at Alsea Community Library
- Saturday, July 25, 11:30 a.m. at Summit Grange Hall
- Saturday, July 25, 3:30 p.m. at Philomath Museum
- Sunday, July 26, 11:30 a.m. at Adair County Park
- Sunday, July 26, 3:30 p.m. at North Albany Park
- Saturday, August 8, 11:30 a.m. at Kepi Nak-Nak Café in Monroe
- Saturday, August 8, 3:30 p.m. at Alpine Community Center
Mayors and other elected leaders will join Commissioner Shepherd for several of the town halls – a demonstration of the County’s philosophy that our communities are best served when the County and cities work together.
“The best way to find out what folks in Benton County need is to go to where people live, work, and play and listen to them,” said Shepherd.
“During my campaign I made a commitment to hold town halls around the county every year. Pressing needs and urgent concerns are always changing. It’s important to keep open, two-way communication.”
Shepherd is in his second year as County Commissioner. He served two terms on the Corvallis City Council before taking office in January 2025. He serves on several boards and committees for other organizations in the county. This the second year he’s done these town halls.
Some caveats
At town hall meetings, Commissioner Shepherd represents only himself, not the entire Board of Commissioners. He does not speak for the body. He will not express an opinion or receive public comments on any open land use case before the County.
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