Benton County OKs $18,612 Geo‑Permits contract to move permitting online

The Benton County Board of Supervisors on March 24 approved a contract with Schneider Geospatial to add a Geo‑Permits module to the county’s Beacon parcel system that will let contractors and landowners apply for septic, well, land‑use and farm‑exemption permits online and pay electronically.

Andrea Morris, Environmental Health and Land Use staff, said the Geo‑Permits add‑on will allow contractors and landowners to submit applications, enable staff to attach scanned historical records to parcel files and improve communication between applicants and the land‑use office. "This would allow for contractors and land owners to apply for things such as septic systems, wells, land use and farm exemption applications all on line," Morris said during the presentation.

The initial contract amount is $18,612. Morris told the board she has applied for a grant to help fund the added expense and is waiting to hear back. Ryan Smith of Schneider Geospatial joined Morris and Matt Even from Environmental Health and Land Use for the presentation.

Supervisor Tippett moved to approve the contract and Supervisor Volz seconded; Tippett, Seeman and Volz voted aye. The motion authorizes county staff to sign the contract and proceed with implementation.

County officials said the Geo‑Permits module will be integrated on the existing county Beacon website used for property records and will serve as both the live application portal and a backup archive for scanned paper records. No implementation timeline beyond contract approval was specified in the meeting record.

The board did not identify a funding source in the motion; Morris reported a pending grant application but the transcript does not specify the grant name or amount.