Benton County committee advances budget with 4% merit pool, 2% sales-tax projection and $4M set aside for misdemeanor pod

Chairman Jones said the county began the budget process with a roughly $477,000 shortfall but that prior revenue estimates — about $6.5 million in additional general-fund revenue and $925,000 for the road fund — and choices about pay and capital leave the county with a healthy margin under the proposed framework.

Under motions approved by the committee, personnel requests will largely remain in the 2026 budget and the committee advanced a 4% merit pay program with the pay ranges increased 4% and a 6% individual cap. Justice Armis moved the raise package and Justice Dunn seconded; the committee approved the measure over two recorded opposing votes. Chairman Jones said the framework would allow department heads to grant raises within the merit pool while the cap prevents outsized individual increases.

“The motion would include a 4% pay raise that’s merit for the employees with a 6% cap,” Chairman Jones said, describing the agreed language.

The committee also set the sales-tax revenue projection at 2% for the budget recap after debate about possible rebates and uncertain municipal submissions. Justice Armis made the motion to use a 2% projection; supporters said it gives a conservative but realistic picture for the final recap.

On personnel, the committee approved moving salary waivers and adjustments forward (motion passed, recorded as 12 yeas to 1 nay) and kept a number of non-general-fund positions — including a public-defender case manager and a victim-witness legal assistant sought by circuit judges — in the plan. The committee also approved dozens of requested new positions, including sheriff’s office staffing lines and juvenile-detention roles; three justices recorded opposition on that motion.

The meeting contained an extended discussion of a requested Deep Trekker remote-operated vehicle (ROV) for lake recoveries, a roughly $190,000 capital item in the packet. Justice Smith suggested community fundraising; the county judge said the administration would not run crowdfunding and questioned audit and accounting implications. Supporters from the public-safety side and several justices argued the ROV would reduce overtime costs, shorten long recovery operations and keep deputies safer when searching deep water.

“We’ve asked for this thing 4 years,” a sheriff’s office supporter told the committee, saying the device can shorten multi-day search operations and reduce overtime and safety risks for deputies.

The committee directed staff to draft an ordinance to create a dedicated misdemeanor-pod fund and proposed seeding it with $4,000,000 from the general fund. Committee members recommended that any use of that fund for purposes other than operations or maintenance of a misdemeanor pod or future jail expansion require a supermajority (two-thirds) of the quorum court; final ordinance language and timing will be handled through finance and quorum court in the coming weeks.

Separately, the committee voted to increase planning-board pay from $200 to $300 per meeting (estimated budget impact about $20,000) to improve recruitment and retention for that advisory body.

Chairman Jones closed the meeting by outlining next steps: the committee of the whole on Oct. 21 and a short final budget meeting afterward to produce a recap for November finance and for quorum court consideration.

What’s next: staff will prepare updated budget recaps and ordinance language for the misdemeanor-pod fund; the committee returns Oct. 21 for a final review before the finance committee in November.