Benton County commissioners debate moving tag services to old electric building

BENTON COUNTY — Commissioners spent a sizable portion of the meeting debating whether to relocate county tag operations, a Veterans Affairs representative and an employee identified in the transcript as "Wanda" to the county's old electric building.

Commissioner Dwayne Fowler asked the commission to “get that ball rolling,” saying the county has impact funds and that the move would reduce courthouse foot traffic and allow a drive-up option for senior residents. “We got our impact money. Shouldn't take much to put the divider wall on that, put some vents in the top of it and get her down there,” Fowler said during the meeting.

Property committee members and county staff reported most items on a pre-move checklist are complete but flagged the lighting as outstanding. A county official who oversaw repairs said the lights are older fixtures and replacing diffusers or converting the fixtures could require additional funds. “Everything that was on the list has been corrected except the lights,” the official said, adding that she spent about $12,000 from county building maintenance on the listed repairs and expected to seek a resolution to replenish those funds.

Commissioners disagreed about the procurement and permitting pathway. One commissioner said routine maintenance under $10,000 does not require full commission approval and can be handled through county maintenance; another said replacing or reconfiguring ceilings and lighting could exceed that threshold, triggering formal bids and city building permits. The commission also raised ADA-compliance concerns and noted that structural or bathroom changes might require bringing the building up to current codes, which would increase costs. “If you're going to change things and do construction in the building, then you have to get a permit through the city of Camden and the codes guys are going to make you bring the whole building up to code,” a county official said.

The property committee was asked to sponsor a formal resolution to authorize specifications and, if necessary, put the work out for competitive bids so the project can proceed with clear cost estimates and vendor specifications. No final funding authorization was adopted during the meeting; commissioners instructed the property committee to prepare a resolution and scope for the work so the full commission can vote at a future meeting.

Next steps: property committee to prepare a resolution with project specifications and, if needed, a bid package for lighting or structural work before any additional county funds are committed.