Residents press Benton County on secondary roads conditions; engineer outlines short-term staffing changes

Several Benton County residents used the public‑comment period to press the Board of Supervisors about persistent poor conditions on secondary (gravel) roads in the Urbana area and elsewhere.

Terry Reicks, who said he travels county roads extensively for work, described repeated washouts, severe potholes and what he called largely reactive maintenance that requires residents to call repeatedly before crews respond. "If you guys want to do this all the time, that's fine, but residents in the rural areas are fed up with it," Reicks said, recounting multiple instances when rock placed on roads was later bladed into ditches.

Other residents echoed concerns about operator availability and training. They asked whether maintainers who operate graders receive certification, whether staffing and supervisory coverage are adequate, and how the public should report trouble spots. The county engineer responded that maintainers receive training, that the department has been rotating staff to fill gaps caused by medical leave, and that the maintenance superintendent had placed a more consistent operator in the Urbana area to reduce daily reassignment. The engineer also directed residents to contact the engineer’s office (and provided staff email and phone routes) for photos and direct reports so crews can respond.

Board members acknowledged the frustration and said staff would continue to adjust assignments to provide more consistent coverage. No formal policy change or budget appropriation was made during the meeting; supervisors urged residents to use the engineer’s office as the primary reporting channel and said they would monitor the effectiveness of the staffing adjustment.