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Commission rejects $5,250 purchase of voting software after 6 commissioners oppose it
Summary
Benton County commissioners voted down a $5,250 appropriation to buy County Commission voting software and authorize a contract with Open Meeting Technologies; the roll call was 10 Ayes, 6 No (Bain, Nunnery, Price, Murphy, Fowler, and Kiehn), 2 Absent.
The Benton County Commission considered a request on Dec. 15, 2025 to appropriate $5,250 to pay for County Commission voting software and to authorize related agreements with Open Meeting Technologies. Mayor Mark Ward presented the request and commissioners debated the purchase.
On a roll-call vote the motion failed, with 10 votes in favor and six against. The commissioners recorded as voting No were Commissioners Bain, Nunnery, Price, Jeff Murphy, Dwayne Fowler and Kiehn; two commissioners were absent. Because the motion failed, no contract was authorized and no funds were expended at the meeting.
Why it mattered: The software would have provided a vendor solution for commission voting and records; opponents expressed opposition sufficient to block the appropriation, leaving the county to continue with its current process or revisit the purchase at a later date.
Next steps: No purchase or contract was approved. The county may bring a revised request back to a future meeting or pursue other procurement options.
