Eastern Oregon local government: who decides and how to be heard

Updated Oct. 28, 2026

County boards and city councils in Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker and Malheur counties set budgets and tax levies, decide land use, sign contracts and oversee roads, public safety and public health. All of them meet in public. Below is who sits on each board, when and where it meets, how to watch from home and how to be heard. Several seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot, and the winners take office in January.

For the decisions coming up each week, read the Sunday Eastern Oregon look-ahead.

What Oregon law guarantees

Anyone can attend a meeting of a city council, county board or other governing body. Oregon's Public Meetings Law says "all persons shall be permitted to attend any meeting" except as the law provides, and it applies to committees and advisory boards as well.

• Notice. Boards must give public notice of the time and place of regular meetings, with a list of the principal subjects they expect to take up. Special meetings need at least 24 hours' notice except in an actual emergency.
• Closed sessions. A board can meet in executive session only for reasons the law lists, and the presiding officer has to name the legal authority first. News media may attend most executive sessions, though not labor negotiations, and the board can require that specified information not be reported. No final decision can be made in executive session.
• Records of the meeting. Boards keep written minutes or a recording that show who was present, every motion and how each member voted, and they must make them public within a reasonable time.
• Attending from home. Since 2022, public bodies must, to the extent reasonably possible, let the public attend meetings other than executive sessions by phone or video and, when they take testimony in person, accept it remotely as well.
• Speaking. The law guarantees the right to attend, not to speak. Most boards set aside time for public comment anyway, and some proceedings, such as budget and land-use hearings, must take testimony.
• Public records. Every person has a right to inspect public records, with exceptions set in law. The Oregon Department of Justice's Public Records and Meetings Manual explains both laws.

How to be heard

Agendas post a few days before each meeting at the links below. To speak about an item on the agenda, come to the meeting or send written comment to the clerk or recorder before the deadline the board sets. Most boards also hold a general public comment period for topics that are not on the agenda; speakers give their name and town and usually get three to five minutes. To put a topic on a future agenda, contact the board's office ahead of time. Pendleton, Enterprise and the Malheur County Court ask for a request or appointment in advance.

Times on this page are Pacific, except in Malheur County, which keeps Mountain time.

Umatilla County

Umatilla County Board of Commissioners

• Members: Dan Dorran, chair; John Shafer, vice chair; Celinda "Cindy" Timmons.
• Meets: 9 a.m., usually the first and third Wednesdays. Dates shift, so check the county's meeting table, which also has agendas, minutes and videos.
• Where: Room 130, Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 SE Fourth St., Pendleton.
• Watch or join: meetings stream live on the county's YouTube channel, and each agenda lists a Google Meet link and a phone dial-in.
• To comment: "Public Input and Recognition of Visitors" comes early in each meeting. Send written comments and questions to askyourcommissioners@umatillacounty.gov. For an interpreter, call at least 48 hours ahead.
• Contact: 541-278-6204.

Pendleton City Council

• Members: Mayor McKennon McDonald. Councilors John Thomas and Carole L. Innes (Ward 1), Joseph Hull and Ellie McBride (Ward 2), Linda K. Neuman and Brett Mulvihill (Ward 3), and Addison Schulberg and Steve Campbell (at large).
• Meets: 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays, in the council chambers at City Hall, 500 SW Dorion Ave. Agendas are linked from the city's council meetings page.
• To comment: to present information or ask the council to act, submit the request to the Administration office at City Hall by noon on the Wednesday before the meeting.
• Contact: City Recorder Sheri Allen, City Administration, 541-966-0201.

Hermiston City Council

• Members: Mayor Doug Primmer. Councilors Jackie M. Linton (Ward 1), Roy N. Barron (Ward 2), Jackie C. Myers (Ward 3), David P. McCarthy (Ward 4, council president), and Maria E. Duron, Allen Hayward, Jeff Kelso and Josh Roberts (at large).
• Meets: Mondays, usually the second and fourth, with a work session at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7 p.m., in the council chambers at City Hall, 180 NE Second St. Dates and agendas are on the city's meetings page.
• Watch or join: meetings stream on the city's YouTube channel. To take part by Zoom, email meetings@hermiston.gov by 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting.
• To comment: "Citizen input on non-agenda items" comes early in each regular meeting, with a limit of five minutes; give your name and place of residence. Written comments go to meetings@hermiston.gov with your full name and place of residence, within the time set for the item.
• Contact: City Hall, 541-567-5521.

Union County

Union County Board of Commissioners

• Members: Paul Anderes (Position 1), Matt Scarfo (Position 2) and Jake Seavert (Position 3).
• Meets: 9 a.m., generally the first and third Wednesdays; the remaining 2026 dates are Nov. 4 and 18 and Dec. 2 and 16. The county's meeting schedule lists every date.
• Where: Joseph Annex Building, 1106 K Ave., La Grande, unless the agenda says otherwise.
• Watch or join: by Zoom, meeting ID 814 2000 6863, or by phone at 253-215-8782 or 301-715-8592. Special meetings may use a different Zoom link, listed on the schedule.
• To comment: written comments are due to the commissioners' office by 5 p.m. the Monday before the meeting, by email to amoore@union-county.org.
• Agendas and minutes: Union County commissioners.
• Contact: 541-963-1001.

La Grande City Council

• Members: Mayor Justin B. Rock; Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ann Miesner; Councilors Rikki Jo Hickey, David Glabe, Molly King, Denise Wheeler and Corrine Dutto.
• Meets: regular sessions are typically at 6 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month, with work sessions on Monday evenings, in the council chambers at City Hall, 1000 Adams Ave. Agendas are in the city's Agenda Center.
• Watch: on the city's YouTube channel.
• To comment: speak on an agenda item while the council discusses it, or during public comments for other topics. Comments run three minutes unless the mayor sets another limit. To comment virtually, contact the city recorder by 5 p.m. the day before the meeting.
• Contact: City Recorder Stacey Stockhoff, 541-962-1309, sstockhoff@cityoflagrande.org.

Wallowa County

Wallowa County Board of Commissioners

• Members: Lisa Collier, John Hillock and Cody Lathrop.
• Meets: 9 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays, unless canceled, in the Thornton Conference Room on the first floor of the Wallowa County Courthouse, 101 S. River St., Enterprise. Dates and agendas are on the county's meetings page.
• Watch or join: by Zoom, with the link in each meeting announcement. Join with your first and last name.
• To comment: each agenda includes a public comment period.
• Contact: 541-426-4543.

Enterprise City Council

• Members: the council has an elected mayor and six councilors: Jeffrey Yanke, mayor pro tem; Eric Stangel, council president; and Dave Elliott, Carl McFetridge, Jim Dickenson and Rick Freeman.
• Meets: once a month, usually the second Monday at 6:30 p.m. Some dates move, so check the city's meetings list.
• To comment: to be placed on an agenda, fill out the Public Comment/Presentation Request Form and return it to City Hall, 102 E. North St.
• Contact: City Administrator and Recorder Zak Bradshaw, 541-426-4196, zbradshaw@enterpriseoregon.gov.

Baker County

Baker County Board of Commissioners

• Members: Shane Alderson, chair, term through December 2026; Michelle Kaseberg, Position 1, through December 2027; Christina Witham, Position 2, through December 2026.
• Meets: commission sessions at 9 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays at the Baker County Courthouse, 1995 Third St., Baker City. Agendas post as county press releases about a week ahead.
• Watch or join: by Zoom, using the meeting ID and toll-free numbers in each agenda.
• To comment: on Zoom, use the raise-hand feature, unmute when called on and give your name and address. Questions sent in advance to scarlson@bakercountyor.gov can be answered during the session.
• Contact: 541-523-8200, or the commissioners directly at salderson@bakercountyor.gov, mkaseberg@bakercountyor.gov and cwitham@bakercountyor.gov.

Baker City Council

• Members: Mayor Randy Daugherty, chosen by the council from among its members for a two-year term, and Councilors Roger Coles, Loran Joseph, Helen Loennig, Doni Bruland, Gratton Miller and Randy Schiewe.
• Meets: 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays, in the council chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 1655 First St. Agendas are linked from each meeting on the city council page and its calendar.
• Watch or join: Zoom links are on the city's meeting materials and webcasts page.
• Contact: City Recorder, cityrecorder@bakercity.gov; City Hall, 541-523-6541.

Malheur County

Malheur County Court

• Members: County Judge Dan Joyce and Commissioners Ron Jacobs and Jim Mendiola. The county court is Malheur County's governing board, with the county judge presiding.
• Meets: Wednesdays at 9 a.m. Mountain time, in Room 106 of the Malheur County Courthouse, 251 B St. W., Vale. Agendas are on the county clerk's county court page.
• Watch or join: online through GoToMeeting, access code 299-510-653.
• To comment: the county advises anyone who wants to speak to the court to make an appointment. The court may allow public comment and may set a three-minute limit.
• Contact: 541-473-5124.

Ontario City Council

• Members: Mayor Deborah Folden; Council President Penny Bakefelt; Councilors Ken Hart, Susann Mills, John Kirby, Michael Braden and Adrianna Contreras.
• Meets: 6 p.m. Mountain time on the second and fourth Tuesdays, in the council chambers at City Hall, 444 SW Fourth St. See the city council page for agendas.
• Watch: live and recorded video on the city's Facebook page.
• Contact: City Recorder Tori Barnett, 541-881-3232, tori.barnett@ontariooregon.org.

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

The Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla tribes govern their own affairs as a sovereign nation under a constitution adopted in 1949. The General Council, made up of every tribal member 18 and older, meets monthly on the third Thursday and elects the nine-member Board of Trustees every two years. The board holds business meetings Mondays at 9 a.m. at the Nixyáawii Governance Center, 46411 Timíne Way, Pendleton, and posts meeting recaps on the tribes' website.