County Engineer Chris Byrd told the Benton County Board on Nov. 4 that engineering costs tied to transportation projects funded by the county’s local option sales tax total roughly $1,100,000 for 2025 and about $1.2 million across the following four years.

Byrd said about $575,000 of the 2025 engineering expense is attributable to construction projects explicitly identified as sales-tax funded. "And so in 2025, these are just the engineering costs that the highway department... incurred, maybe a million dollars, a little bit over a million, $1,100,000 of engineering costs," Byrd said during the presentation.

Byrd showed a five-year plan that highlights projects funded with sales tax and the engineering cost assigned to each. He told commissioners the draft resolution language he prepared would take effect immediately upon adoption but can be amended or rescinded by future board action.

Several commissioners questioned whether the policy should be treated as an ongoing standing change or revisited each year at budget time. The chair and other members recommended tying the review to the county’s five-year road plan and August budget schedule so the board can re-evaluate whether engineering costs should be paid from sales tax or the levy.

Byrd agreed to rework the policy language and bring a revised Section 5 back to the board, possibly as a consent item at the next meeting. He emphasized that some engineering work spans multiple years and that the board retains authority to change the funding source in future budget cycles.

What’s next: Staff will return a revised sales-tax/engineering policy to the board for consideration and possible placement on a future consent agenda.