Supervisors approve ordering two replacement transit buses, commit funds while DOT delivery lags

Benton County supervisors authorized county staff to order two replacement transit buses and to place the purchase authority in the secondary-road committed fund after a Jan. 7 presentation by the transportation director.

The transportation director reported that the state Department of Transportation (DOT) provides $71,000 per replacement bus under the grant that funds the purchases, but the vendor base price and added options mean the actual per-bus cost will be about $126,000, creating an estimated shortfall of roughly $55,000 per bus. The director said one vehicle could be purchased within the current fiscal-year budget, but the request was to order both now because delivery lead times are 18 to 24 months and the DOT replacement allocation dates back to FY21.

Supervisors approved a motion to order both buses now and to commit county budget authority (using committed funds) so the purchases can be funded when invoices come due, acknowledging the long vendor lead time and the timing mismatch between DOT allocations and chassis availability. The board recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the motion.

The transportation director noted that lead times for chassis and vehicle builds are affecting many local governments and that ordering now preserves the county's place in the production queue. County finance staff said money already budgeted in the committed fund will be applied and staff will budget any remaining county contributions into FY27 as necessary.

Ending: The county will place the order, track delivery timelines, and reflect the committed-fund authority in future budget documents; staff will keep supervisors informed about delivery and any additional funding requirements.