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County legislative liaison says special session likely before month—s end; bonding remains the biggest open issue
Summary
Grady Harn updated the Benton County Board on the state legislature—s unfinished budget work and the likely need for a special session, saying most budget bills are worked out except bonding and that county priorities such as a government center tax exemption and local construction exemptions remain unresolved.
Grady Harn, Benton County—s legislative update presenter, told the County Board on a Monday morning that most major budget bills did not pass during the regular session and that a special session will likely be called to finish work before the June 30 constitutional deadline.
Harn said work groups have been negotiating behind closed doors on transportation, taxes, bonding and other budget bills; many issues were agreed to at leadership levels, but leadership still must secure enough floor votes. He described bonding as the remaining major unsettled bill and said it would likely be addressed at the end of a special session. "Agreements have been made on everything except bonding," Harn said. "We anticipate that that will probably be a last, minute" addition.
Why it matters: the state must pass an operating budget by June 30 to avoid a government shutdown. Harn said agency notifications already asked state agencies to prepare for a shutdown and that the governor had signaled he might call a special session soon. Benton County staff and commissioners who visited the Capitol in May were working to press county priorities while conversations continue.
Harn highlighted three Benton County priorities: pursuing language in the tax bill to allow the county to claim a government center exemption, pushing for transportation funding related to Highway 1 and other projects, and keeping Benton County projects "front and center" for any bonding package. He said the tax bill had been narrowed to eight items with no local projects at leadership—s direction and that chair Rust had tried to find a way for counties to pursue exemptions on their own but ran into difficulties.
On bonding, Harn summarized competing proposals at the Capitol: an initial Senate Democratic proposal of roughly $1.3 billion, a down‑scaled proposal around $700 million, and separate Senate Republican discussion about adding roughly $300 million for high‑level water projects through the PFA. He said he was told that large new bonding dollars would not be earmarked to specific counties.
Board members thanked Harn for the update and noted the disappointing year for regional projects. Commissioner Cherry said Representative Schultz described this as "the season of disappointment," a sentiment Harn said mirrored conversations he—s hearing from other counties.
Ending: Harn said he will keep the board informed about a special session date and that the governor must act by the end of the month to avert a shutdown. He urged commissioners to continue engaging with delegation chairs and leadership while work groups finalize agreements.
