BENTON COUNTY, Minn. — County staff on Tuesday presented a public hearing on reauthorizing Benton County’s local option transportation sales tax and a map listing roughly 20 remaining road and bridge projects to be funded if voters and subsequent certifying actions allow. The tax, authorized by state statute, imposes up to one‑half of one percent on taxable retail sales and must be supported by a list of eligible capital projects.

The county began collecting the transportation sales tax in 2019; staff told the board that early projections estimated about $1.9 million in annual revenue but actual collections have averaged closer to $3.4 million per year. Staff said proceeds must be dedicated to capital road and bridge improvements, transit operating costs, safe‑routes‑to‑school capital, or specific transit projects under the enabling statute.

At the public hearing, residents emphasized safety and local need when asked which roads should be prioritized. County residents urged the board to add County Road 65 (several speakers), County Road 25 (raised safety concerns including narrow shoulders and heavy truck traffic), and the full County Road 82 segment from Trunk Highway 25 to County Road 13. “If you pave 65 all the way to the county line, you get a full corridor; piecemealing it leaves a gap,” one resident told the board.

Commissioners and staff discussed feasibility and estimating challenges. Staff noted many projects could not be completed in a single five‑year work program and that estimated total costs for the candidate list — adjusted for inflation and staged delivery — could extend over 10 years. They also emphasized that some projects originally listed remain incomplete and would be carried forward into the new resolution.

After questions about which road segments to include, a majority of commissioners moved to bring back an amended resolution at the board’s Jan. 6, 2026 meeting that expands the County Road 65 segment to the county line and includes the full County Road 82 section identified by residents. The board also instructed staff to produce a revised project list and updated cost estimates to accompany the resolution.

The reauthorization is a procedural re‑certification of an existing local option sales tax and requires inclusion of a project list and a sunset tied either to completion of the listed projects or to a statutorily required termination date. No vote to impose or extend the tax beyond administrative reauthorization occurred on Tuesday; the board’s next meeting will consider the revised resolution.

The board’s public records and the staff map presented at the hearing document completed projects, projects remaining from the original resolution, and proposed new projects. Staff said the Department of Revenue requires a published list of projects for the statute to apply.

The board closed the hearing and instructed staff to return with the amended resolution for formal consideration on Jan. 6.