Centralized meeting schedule boosts civic access in McDowell County

A regularly updated schedule of municipal and county meetings is now the clearest route for McDowell County residents to follow local government decisions that affect water, sewer, roads and recovery funding. Region I Planning & Development Council maintains a centralized page that lists meeting dates, times and links for the county commission, public service districts, sanitary and water boards, and municipal councils across McDowell communities.

Key standing meetings listed for McDowell include the County Commission on the second and fourth Wednesday at 4:00 PM in the county commission meeting room and the McDowell Public Service District on the second Tuesday at 3:00 PM. Welch Sanitary Board meets the last Wednesday of the month except in November and December, with the Water Board at 1:00 PM followed by the Sewer Board at 1:30 PM. City and town schedules shown on the listing include Welch (first Monday at 6:00 PM), Gary (first Tuesday after the third of the month at 6:00 PM), Keystone (first Thursday at 5:30 PM), Northfork (second Thursday at 6:00 PM) and War (third Monday at 6:00 PM). Additional municipal schedules for Bradshaw, Davy, Kimball and Anawalt are noted as applicable.

The centralized listing provides links and a downloadable PDF that consolidates community, PSD and commission meetings, along with contact emails for Region I staff and pointers to the appropriate local office for agenda and minutes requests. That consolidation is intended to make civic engagement more accessible by steering residents to public hearings, grant and contract postings, procurement notices and other items that drive infrastructure and recovery projects.

Residents should treat the consolidated schedule as a starting point. Agendas, legal notices and procurement RFQs are normally posted by the individual municipalities, the county commission, or PSDs and may include formal deadlines or archived documents that are not hosted on the Region I page. Meeting locations, times and agendas can change for holidays or weather; attendees are advised to confirm times and agenda items directly with the listed municipal or district office or the county clerk before traveling.

For McDowell voters and stakeholders, the practical value is immediate: timely notice of budget votes, contract awards, water and sewer hearings and road work sessions gives residents the opportunity to speak at public comment periods, submit written comments and monitor how grant funds and procurements are allocated. The centralized page also simplifies tracking multiple bodies when issues span jurisdictions, such as PSD procurements tied to county road projects.

What this means for readers is straightforward: use the Region I listings to plan attendance, verify agendas with the hosting body, and follow procurement and legal notices through the county clerk or individual boards for official deadlines. Continued public scrutiny and attendance at these meetings will shape how McDowell County’s recovery and infrastructure priorities are decided in the months ahead.