Benton County Administrator Rachel McEneny resigned from her position effective Wednesday, the Benton County Board of Commissioners announced.
Board Chair Pat Malone notified county employees of the departure via email. According to a news release from the county, McEneny’s resignation letter does not cite specific reasons for leaving, but states she made the difficult decision to focus on her extended family and other opportunities.
Assistant County Administrator Rick Crager, who routinely covered administrator duties while McEneny was out of the office, will serve in an acting capacity while the county conducts a search for her replacement. Malone assured employees that county services will continue uninterrupted during the transition.
“Rachel led county operations as we navigated both challenges and successes, and we are grateful for her impact,” said Malone, who is in his eighth year as county commissioner.
McEneny served two and a half years in the role. During her tenure, the county navigated a historic strike by union-represented employees in November 2024, after which she noted that labor and management strengthened their working relationship and commitment to shared community goals.
Facing federal funding cuts to health and human services in 2025, McEneny implemented a hiring freeze that county officials say helped Benton County avoid the staff layoffs experienced by other Oregon counties. The county also passed a biennial budget that year that held the line on taxes and fees.
Several capital projects advanced under her administration, including the opening of the Barbara Ross Children and Family Services Building in 2024, the launch of the Benton County Crisis Center in July 2025 — one of only three such facilities in Oregon — and a May 2025 groundbreaking for a new county courthouse and emergency operations center, which is expected to open in spring 2027. The historic McBee campground was also donated to the county during this period, with infrastructure improvements currently underway.
McEneny also oversaw a transition to a new online platform for county commissioners meeting records, making decades of meeting minutes publicly searchable, and led efforts to improve county website accessibility and external communications.
“I want to publicly thank Rachel for her service to Benton County,” Malone said. “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.”