La Grande schedules free community town hall April 22 at EOU

The City of La Grande scheduled its quarterly Community Town Hall for April 22 at Eastern Oregon University, putting city leaders and staff in Badgley Hall’s Huber Auditorium, Room 102, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The forum was free and ADA accessible, and city notice said a quorum of the La Grande City Council may be present, but no official council meeting would be convened and no formal action would be taken.

That made the event less about ordinances and votes than about access. The city described the town hall as a chance to gather as a community, share updates, celebrate local achievements and connect directly with city staff, a format that gave residents a direct line into city government without waiting for a formal council agenda at City Hall, 1000 Adams Avenue.

The April 22 meeting fit into a quarterly series that has become part of La Grande’s regular outreach. City calendar entries showed a similar town hall on January 14, 2026, at the same EOU location and time, and earlier city references identified an October 15, 2025 town hall as the first in the regular quarterly run. About 76 people took part in the January town hall, both in person and remotely, showing that the forum has already drawn a meaningful audience.

City Manager John H. O’Brien, appointed in August 2025, has been the public face of that effort. The city also has been publishing monthly manager activity updates, creating a second channel for residents who want to follow what is happening between council meetings and town halls. Those updates have highlighted infrastructure and planning work, including a street project schedule and issues such as budget priorities, paving, gas tax, homelessness and service-line programs.

That is where the practical value of the town hall lies for Union County residents. La Grande Public Works says it is responsible for planning, developing and maintaining infrastructure, solid waste, facilities and other services, so the issues discussed in a room like Huber Auditorium can spill quickly into everyday life, from street conditions to neighborhood services. With a council quorum allowed but no formal action on the table, the town hall served as one of the clearest near-term opportunities for residents to press city leaders directly and see where the city is headed next.