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News Release

Benton County Announces Resignation Of County Administrator - 02/18/26

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Benton County Board of Commissioners announced Wednesday that Rachel McEneny has stepped down from her position as county administrator effective end of business that day. Board Chair Pat Malone notified County employees of McEneny’s resignation in an email to all staff. 

 

Assistant County Administrator Rick Crager routinely covered county administrator duties when McEneny was out of office, and he will act in that capacity while the County begins a search for her replacement.

 

Malone assured employees that the County will continue to provide the expected level of service to community members and partners throughout the transition.

 

McEneny’s resignation letter does not include specific reasons for her departure, but shares her heavy heart as she made the difficult decision to focus on her extended family and other opportunities.

 

Malone, who is in his eighth year as County Commissioner, remarked on how much McEneny accomplished in two and a half years in the role.

 

“I want to publicly thank Rachel for her service to Benton County,” said Malone. “She is leaving County operations in better shape than when she came. She identified and addressed areas that were overdue for change. She made hard decisions when they needed to be made.”

 

McEneny’s resignation letter expresses gratitude for the honor and privilege of being part of Benton County government. Above all, she is proud of the workforce she served and the relationships she built with hardworking colleagues, especially AFSCME leadership.

 

After the historic strike in November 2024, leadership and union-represented employees learned to listen to one another and remain committed to shared goals for the community.

 

With a wave of executive-level retirements in recent years, McEneny welcomed new leadership in several departments. She focused on recruiting leaders who understand today’s workforce and can build connected teams.

 

McEneny believes strongly in government transparency and empowering communities to engage. She supported the very successful switch to a new platform for the Board of Commissioners Meeting Portal, making decades of meeting minutes available online and easily searchable, and making it much easier to access materials for current and upcoming meetings.

 

She also built a team to bolster external communications and worked toward making County websites easy to navigate and accessible to all community members.

 

In 2025, changes at the federal level led to unforeseen cuts to health and human services that people of all ages and circumstances depend on. McEneny anticipated budgetary challenges by implementing a hiring freeze that avoided the staff layoffs other Oregon counties experienced.

 

Later that year, the County passed a responsible biennial budget that held the line on taxes and fees. 

 

Benton County made an unprecedented amount of progress on capital projects during McEneny’s tenure. She is proud of the teamwork that made these projects possible and the service improvements they bring to our communities.

 

The Barbara Ross Building opened in 2024 and was formally named and dedicated in 2025. The Benton County Crisis Center opened in July 2025 — one of only three such facilities in the state.

 

The County broke ground for the new County Courthouse and Emergency Operations Center in May 2025. The buildings are slated to open in spring 2027.

 

The historic McBee campground was generously donated to the County, and infrastructure improvements are currently underway.

 

In a challenging time for local governments, Malone appreciates the long list of recent successes and things to look forward to. “Rachel led County operations as we navigated both challenges and successes, and we are grateful for her impact.”

 

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Benton County Announces Resignation Of County Administrator - 02/18/26

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Benton County Board of Commissioners announced Wednesday that Rachel McEneny has stepped down from her position as county administrator effective end of business that day. Board Chair Pat Malone notified County employees of McEneny’s resignation in an email to all staff. 

 

Assistant County Administrator Rick Crager routinely covered county administrator duties when McEneny was out of office, and he will act in that capacity while the County begins a search for her replacement.

 

Malone assured employees that the County will continue to provide the expected level of service to community members and partners throughout the transition.

 

McEneny’s resignation letter does not include specific reasons for her departure, but shares her heavy heart as she made the difficult decision to focus on her extended family and other opportunities.

 

Malone, who is in his eighth year as County Commissioner, remarked on how much McEneny accomplished in two and a half years in the role.

 

“I want to publicly thank Rachel for her service to Benton County,” said Malone. “She is leaving County operations in better shape than when she came. She identified and addressed areas that were overdue for change. She made hard decisions when they needed to be made.”

 

McEneny’s resignation letter expresses gratitude for the honor and privilege of being part of Benton County government. Above all, she is proud of the workforce she served and the relationships she built with hardworking colleagues, especially AFSCME leadership.

 

After the historic strike in November 2024, leadership and union-represented employees learned to listen to one another and remain committed to shared goals for the community.

 

With a wave of executive-level retirements in recent years, McEneny welcomed new leadership in several departments. She focused on recruiting leaders who understand today’s workforce and can build connected teams.

 

McEneny believes strongly in government transparency and empowering communities to engage. She supported the very successful switch to a new platform for the Board of Commissioners Meeting Portal, making decades of meeting minutes available online and easily searchable, and making it much easier to access materials for current and upcoming meetings.

 

She also built a team to bolster external communications and worked toward making County websites easy to navigate and accessible to all community members.

 

In 2025, changes at the federal level led to unforeseen cuts to health and human services that people of all ages and circumstances depend on. McEneny anticipated budgetary challenges by implementing a hiring freeze that avoided the staff layoffs other Oregon counties experienced.

 

Later that year, the County passed a responsible biennial budget that held the line on taxes and fees. 

 

Benton County made an unprecedented amount of progress on capital projects during McEneny’s tenure. She is proud of the teamwork that made these projects possible and the service improvements they bring to our communities.

 

The Barbara Ross Building opened in 2024 and was formally named and dedicated in 2025. The Benton County Crisis Center opened in July 2025 — one of only three such facilities in the state.

 

The County broke ground for the new County Courthouse and Emergency Operations Center in May 2025. The buildings are slated to open in spring 2027.

 

The historic McBee campground was generously donated to the County, and infrastructure improvements are currently underway.

 

In a challenging time for local governments, Malone appreciates the long list of recent successes and things to look forward to. “Rachel led County operations as we navigated both challenges and successes, and we are grateful for her impact.”

 

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