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Supervisors approve termination of historic‑preservation grant and authorize consulting contract for window workshop
Summary
Facing a stop‑work order and delayed state reimbursement, Benton County’s Board of Supervisors voted to terminate a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) contract and authorized a county staff member to sign a consulting contract for a historic window restoration workshop.
Benton County supervisors voted to terminate a contract with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) tied to a certified local government (CLG) grant and approved a separate consulting contract to support a planned historic window restoration workshop.
County staff told the board the SHPO contract was on hold and that state reimbursement had been paused under a stop‑work order. "That stop work order means anybody that's on the grant contract, you have to sit there and wait to see whether the money comes in," a county staff member said. The staff member reported the county had incurred some preparatory costs but could not proceed with hiring or spending under the grant until the state's position signed required paperwork.
The board approved a motion to allow the county to sign a letter terminating the SHPO contract (grant number shown in board paperwork as 1358O) so the county could avoid indefinite delay on planned events and contracting. County staff said the grant's reimbursable amount under discussion was $1,230 and that several participants had already registered for the planned workshop.
Separately, the board approved a motion authorizing a county staff member, Tracy, to sign a consulting contract for preparation of the historic window restoration workshop. "I would make the motion to, allow Tracy to sign the contract for the consulting services to assist the historic preservation commission, preparation for the historic window restoration workshop," a supervisor moved; the motion passed by voice vote.
Why it matters: The termination clears the county to stop waiting on state reimbursement and proceed with a local contracting route to run the workshop. Staff emphasized the termination is an administrative step to avoid indefinite standstill while the state processes the original contract; it does not itself obligate new county funding beyond executing the consulting agreement for the workshop.
