Benton County approves sale of about 60.4 acres at industrial park with timber reservation, easement and right of first refusal

The Benton County Commission voted June 15 to sell about 60.395 acres of county-owned land in the Benton County Industrial Park to Jeff Belisle for $1,500 per acre, while reserving several rights to the county.

Mayor Mark Ward presented Resolution No. 20260615-25, which authorizes conveyance of roughly 60.395 acres of Parcel ID 084 074.00 subject to explicit county reservations. The county will retain all standing timber rights for one year and keep a perpetual, non-exclusive 30-foot easement for ingress, egress, utilities and timber management. The amended resolution also adds a right of first refusal for the county should the purchaser later receive a bona fide offer to sell, and requires the purchaser to reimburse the county for the actual cost of the boundary survey at closing.

Commissioner Bain moved to approve the resolution as amended; the motion was seconded and the commission approved it on a roll-call vote of 17 Aye, 0 No, 1 Absent. A later motion to postpone the sale until the Aug. 17 commission meeting was introduced and immediately rescinded, leaving the amended sale authorization in place.

The resolution authorizes the mayor to execute a statutory warranty deed (or quitclaim deed, if applicable), an easement agreement and other closing documents, provided the deeds and closing paperwork contain the reservations and rights required by the resolution and are approved as to form by the county attorney.

The resolution also specifies that the purchaser must provide a survey subject to county review and reimbursement at closing; it requires the purchaser to refrain from building permanent structures or planting deep-rooted trees within the easement area that would interfere with county use for utilities or timber management.

No public debate on the floor about the purchaser or price is recorded in the meeting minutes; the vote was unanimous among those present.