Before a project ever faces a packed room, a skeptical microphone, or a line of residents ready with questions, there’s a moment every developer must confront:

Should we hold a town hall?

It’s a deceptively simple question. Word travels fast in Texas, relationships carry weight, and local government is more personal than procedural. The choice to host a public forum can shape the trajectory of a project as much as, if not more, than any engineering study or glossy project overview.

At Coover | Goss, we’ve supported projects across the state in county courthouses, school cafeterias, city council chambers, Chambers of Commerce, and along ranch roads and in cattle barns. We’ve seen town halls that built trust and steadied projects, and we’ve seen others that unintentionally fueled opposition, hardened doubts, or widened the gap between developers and the community.

The difference isn’t the slideshow. It’s the strategy.

Town halls are a tool. Used well, they create clarity, credibility, and a starting point for collaboration. Used poorly, they become an accelerant. In this guide, we explore: 

• When a town hall is the right move

• When a town hall may do more harm than good

• The right way to run a town hall in Texas

• Handling opposition in the room

• The engagement arc that makes a town hall successful

When a Town Hall Is the Right Move

1. When the community already knows something is happening
If land has been optioned, documents filed, or rumors circulating at the local coffee shop or on Facebook, choosing not to speak becomes its own kind of message. A well-timed public forum can prevent misinformation from becoming the dominant narrative.

2. When local leadership wants transparency
County judges, commissioners, city managers, and economic development leaders often serve as the first stop for community questions. If they’re asking for clarity, or facing pressure, holding a town hall demonstrates alignment and respect.

3. When the project is complex and highly visible
Large-load interconnection, data centers, transmission lines, battery storage, solar facilities… these are projects with real, tangible impacts. Public forums allow you to walk through technical details, environmental safeguards, water usage, tax implications, and timelines before assumptions take root.

4. When residents are proactively seeking answers
If ranchers, school leaders, homeowners, or local groups are already requesting information, declining a public forum can erode trust. A town hall becomes a structured way to address what’s already being discussed.

When a Town Hall May Do More Harm Than Good

1. When engagement hasn’t started yet
Walking into a room full of strangers and trying to build credibility in 60 minutes is nearly impossible. A town hall cannot be the first touchpoint. It should be a midpoint.

2. When the project team isn’t aligned
Mixed messages, unclear commitments, overly technical answers, or “we’ll get back to you” moments fracture credibility. Better to delay a meeting than arrive unprepared.

3. When tensions are already high and the narrative is inflamed
If social media groups, petitions, or misinformation campaigns are gaining traction, a town hall may become a stage for conflict rather than conversation. In those moments, smaller listening sessions are often more effective as a first step.

4. When local officials feel blindsided
If elected leaders aren’t informed or included early, a public meeting can unintentionally amplify their frustration.

The Right Way to Run a Town Hall in Texas

LISTEN BEFORE YOU SPEAK

Long before the microphones and Q&A, real engagement happens across small tables, quiet meetings with county leadership, conversations with landowners, and time spent in local businesses, school offices, or community organizations. These early conversations shape your understanding of what matters here, not just what matters to the project.

BUILD A CLEAR, GROUNDED NARRATIVE

A town hall should not be a technical lecture. It should answer three core community questions:

• Why here?

• Why now?

• What does it mean for us?

Residents want facts, but they also want context, plain language, and a sense of what the project means for the identity, economy, and future of their community.

HOST THE MEETING WITH STRUCTURE AND INTENTION

A good town hall needs:

• A clear format

• Strong facilitation

• Time for direct, personal engagement

• Visuals that simplify (not overwhelm)

• Direct answers without defensiveness

• Space for questions

• Time limits to keep the conversation productive

You earn trust not by winning debates, but by demonstrating respect.

SHOW YOUR WORK

Don’t just promise safeguards - explain them. Walk through water studies, environmental commitments, noise mitigation, traffic plans, tax benefits, emergency response coordination, and community investments.

Transparency is credibility.

END WITH CLARITY AND FOLLOW-THROUGH

Residents want to know what happens after the meeting:

• Who do we contact?

• When will we hear from you again?

• What commitments are you making today?

• How will concerns be addressed?

A town hall should create momentum—not leave a vacuum.

Handling Opposition in the Room

No matter how thoughtful the preparation, every town hall eventually reaches the moment developers fear most: the pointed question, the raised voice, the resident who walks up to the microphone already convinced the project is a threat.

Opposition is not a failure of engagement, it’s an expected part of it. And how developers handle challenging moments in a town hall often determines whether the broader community leaves more reassured or more uncertain.

Here’s what is effective when opposition shows up:

ACKNOWLEDGE CONCERNS WITHOUT MINIMIZING THEM

Residents need to feel heard. When someone expresses fear about water usage, noise, traffic, property values, or unfamiliar technology, the worst response is a quick dismissal or a defensive technical rebuttal.

A simple, credible acknowledgment goes a long way:

“That’s a fair question, and it’s something we’ve looked at closely.”

Respectful framing lowers the temperature and shows you understand the stakes.

ANSWER WITH FACTS, BUT IN PLAIN LANGUAGE

Data builds confidence, but only when people can understand it. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or explanations that require an engineering background. When discussing impacts, always anchor your answer to local context: local water data, local infrastructure, local permitting safeguards, local economic benefits, local emergency coordination.

A strong answer ties technical credibility to community relevance and clarity beats complexity every time.

 SEPARATE THE LOUDEST VOICES FROM THE BROADSET SENTIMENT

A handful of highly organized or highly vocal opponents can dominate the room, but they do not necessarily represent the entire community. Your job is not to “win” the argument. It’s to demonstrate calm, clarity, and respect so the rest of the room sees your intentions and professionalism.

They’re your real audience.

AVOID BACK-AND-FORTH ARGUMENTS

Town halls are not debates. When one person repeatedly challenges or tries to dominate the conversation, structure and facilitation protect the integrity of the meeting. Developers lose when they let one resident control the meeting’s tone.

Clear boundaries help:

• Keep responses structured and time-bound.

• Use a facilitator to manage the queue.

• Redirect respectfully when comments become repetitive or speculative.

 Professionalism is the antidote to escalation.

CORRECT MISINFORMATION WITHOUT ATTACKING THE MESSENGER

Correcting misinformation is essential, but it must be done with a steady hand. For example:

Replace “That’s not true” with:

“I understand why that concern came up. Let me walk through what the project actually involves.”

This preserves dignity while keeping the meeting grounded.

DON’T MAKE PROMISES YOU CAN’T KEEP

In the heat of a tense moment, it’s tempting to offer quick commitments. But broken promises destroy credibility far faster than cautious honesty. If you don’t yet know an answer, say so and commit to following up quickly and publicly.

BRING HUMANITY INTO THE ROOM

People respond to people, not corporate logos or out-of-state assumptions. Authenticity and humility soften opposition more than polished slides. Go off script, share personal stories, find a connection – be a partner willing to engage, not an adversary.

CLOSE WITH CLEAR NEXT STEPS

The most important message you can send is:

“Tonight wasn’t the end of the conversation.”

Offer office hours, small-group sessions, follow-up meetings, and a dedicated point of contact. Once people know they have a path forward, pressure in the room naturally diffuses.

The Engagement Arc That Makes a Town Hall Successful

A town hall is just one step in a longer relationship between a project and a community. For a town hall to go well, it has to sit inside a broader, more deliberate engagement model. At Coover | Goss, we see successful projects follow a simple but powerful arc:

• Listen – Understand community values, concerns, history, and priorities.

• Shape the Narrative – Craft a clear, locally grounded story about the project—what it is, what it isn’t, why it matters, and how it fits within the community’s future.

• Engage – Use small-group sessions, leadership briefings, ranch visits, school district conversations, business roundtables, and local media touchpoints to build familiarity and trust.

• Follow Through – A town hall isn’t an ending, it’s a checkpoint. Afterward, developers must show consistency, responsiveness, and presence. Trust grows when residents see actions that match the words.

This process turns a high-risk event into a high-value opportunity.

Final Thoughts

Town halls are not a checkbox. They’re not a defensive maneuver. And they’re not the magic solution some hope for once opposition surfaces.

A town hall is a choice, one that should be guided by timing, readiness, transparency, and respect for the community. Used wisely, it can stabilize a project, answer difficult questions, and build trust. Used poorly, it can harden fears, create misinformation moments, and complicate relationships with local officials.

The question isn’t simply whether to hold a town hall. It’s when, why, and how - and whether the community is ready to meet you halfway. Getting that right is one of the most important decisions a developer can make in today’s Texas landscape.