Benton County meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Benton County commissioners weigh election equipment, EV charging, and public safety tax grants

Benton County commissioners met three times in the past two weeks and have two more meetings scheduled, but no decisions have been published yet. All recent meetings were agenda-only, with minutes not yet available. The most consequential items on the table include new election tabulation hardware, electric vehicle charging stations, and recommendations for public safety sales tax funding.

Recent meetings

Aug. 11 – Board of County Commissioners

The board reviewed a consent agenda that included a purchase agreement with National Car Charging LLC for NASPO Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations Equipment and Services, a declaration and sale of surplus property, a 60-month lease for one IM C4510 copier from Pacific Office Automation, Inc., a memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Sheriffs' Guild, and a DSHS agreement with the Developmental Disabilities Administration. No votes were recorded.

Aug. 13 — Benton-Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee

The committee heard updates on Phase I (Columbia Valley Center for Recovery), Phase II (Recovery Housing), and Phase III (CVCR Youth Services), led by M. Rasmussen and J. Bliss. Status reports were also given by the Communications, Mental Health Services, Substance Use Disorder Services, and Data and Quality Oversight sub-committees. The agenda indicated no formal decisions or votes.

Aug. 18 — Board of County Commissioners

The board considered a consent agenda that included the purchase of Clear Ballot Tabulation System Hardware for the Elections Office, a public hearing on Short Plat Vacation SPV 2026-004 Woodard, a contract with Career Path Services for Rapid Response Additional Assistance, an interagency agreement with the WA State Dept. of Commerce for a GMA Periodic Update Grant FY 2027, and a Sign County Program Agreement with DCYF (Agreement #2663-69632). No vote tallies were provided.

Coming up

Aug. 25 — Board of County Commissioners

The board will hold a public hearing on Subdivision Vacation SV 2026-0003 (Herling ~ D Hooper) and consider a grant agreement with HUD for the Continuum of Care Program (WA0072L0T12518), interagency agreements with the WA Administrative Office of the Courts for CASA/GAL and Juvenile Court Early Intervention Programs, and the 2027-2028 Public Safety Sales Tax Grant Funding Recommendations. A temporary change to courthouse business hours for an employee event is also on the agenda.

Aug. 26 — Comprehensive Plan workshop

A special workshop will discuss the periodic update of the Benton County Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulations. Staff members Greg Wendt, Damien Hooper, Ben Floyd, and Adam Cares will lead the discussion. The meeting will be in-person, live-broadcast, and telephonic via WebEx. This is a discussion item, not a final decision.

All meetings are open to the public. Agendas and minutes are available on the county website.

Benton County roundup: Contracts, EV chargers, and voting hardware on agendas; no decisions published yet

No decisions have been published from Benton County meetings held in the past two weeks; all recent agendas are available but minutes have not yet been released. The most consequential item on any upcoming agenda is the purchase of new election tabulation hardware, scheduled for the Aug. 18 commissioners meeting.

Board of Benton County Commissioners (Aug. 4)

The board met to consider several service agreements and infrastructure projects. Agenda items included:

• Seven agreements for the School-to-Work Program with providers including Columbia Ability Alliance and Goodwill Industries
• A contract with Allstar Construction Group, Inc. for the Intersection Safety and Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Project
• Initiation of County Road Project CRP CE 2025 Hanks Road Phase I
• A contract with KeyBank National Association for county banking services
• An agreement with Colliers Valuation & Advisory Services for land appraisal services

No votes or decisions were recorded in the agenda; minutes have not been published.

Law Enforcement Officers' & Fire Fighters' Disability Board (Aug. 5)

The LEOFF board held its regular meeting at the Benton County Courthouse in Prosser. The agenda included approval of minutes from the June 3, 2026 meeting and an executive session to review medical claims. No substantive decisions or new business items were listed.

Board of Benton County Commissioners (Aug. 11)

The commissioners considered a routine consent agenda, including accounts payable, payroll, and several contracts. Notable items included:

• A purchase agreement with National Car Charging LLC for NASPO Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations Equipment and Services
• A declaration and sale of surplus property
• A 60-month lease agreement for one IM C4510 copier from Pacific Office Automation, Inc.
• A memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Sheriffs' Guild
• DSHS Agreement 2663-71265 with the Developmental Disabilities Administration

The board also received a briefing on the Manhattan Project National Historic Park. No decisions were published.

Benton-Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (Aug. 13)

The advisory committee reviewed updates on recovery services, including Phase I (Columbia Valley Center for Recovery), Phase II (Recovery Housing), and Phase III (CVCR Youth Services). Status reports were received from the Communications, Mental Health Services, Substance Use Disorder Services, and Data and Quality Oversight sub-committees. No formal decisions or votes were indicated on the agenda.

Coming up

Board of Benton County Commissioners – Aug. 18, 2026

The board will hold a regular meeting with a consent agenda that includes the purchase of Clear Ballot Tabulation System Hardware for the Elections Office. A public hearing is scheduled for Short Plat Vacation SPV 2026-004 Woodard. Other items include a contract with Career Path Services for Rapid Response Additional Assistance (RRAA), an interagency agreement with the WA State Dept. of Commerce for a GMA Periodic Update Grant FY 2027, and a Sign County Program Agreement with DCYF (Agreement #2663-69632).

Benton County boards weigh contracts, infrastructure; minutes pending

Recent Benton County government meetings covered equipment purchases, infrastructure projects, and service contracts, but official minutes have not yet been published, so no decisions are confirmed. The agendas for the Board of Benton County Commissioners (BOCC) and the Law Enforcement Officers' & Fire Fighters' Disability Board (LEOFF) are summarized below, along with two upcoming meetings.

Recent meetings

July 28 – BOCC

The BOCC agenda included several notable items:

• A purchase agreement for 19 ALPR cameras from Axon Enterprises, Inc. for the Sheriff's Office.
• Awarding the Fairgrounds Buildings Facade Upgrade Project to Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co.
• A 60-month Relay 4500 lease from Pitney Bowes Inc. for the Benton County Elections Office.
• A contract with MMEC Architecture & Interiors, LLC for the Justice Center Space Needs Project.
• Purchase of a 2025 Ford F150 vehicle for the Sheriff's Office.

August 4 – BOCC

This meeting's agenda included:

• Seven agreements for the School-to-Work Program with providers including Columbia Ability Alliance and Goodwill Industries.
• A contract with Allstar Construction Group, Inc. for the Intersection Safety and Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Project.
• Initiation of County Road Project CRP CE 2025 Hanks Road Phase I.
• A contract with KeyBank National Association for county banking services.
• An agreement with Colliers Valuation & Advisory Services for land appraisal services.

August 5 – LEOFF Disability Board

The LEOFF board met at the Benton County Courthouse in Prosser. The agenda listed approval of minutes from the June 3, 2026 meeting and an executive session to review medical claims. No substantive decisions or new business items were listed.

All three meetings are marked as "agenda only" with minutes not yet published, so the outcomes of these items are not yet known.

Upcoming meetings

August 11 – BOCC

The BOCC will consider a routine consent agenda that includes accounts payable, payroll, and several contracts. Notable items include:

• A purchase agreement with National Car Charging LLC for NASPO Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations Equipment and Services.
• Declaration and sale of surplus property.
• A 60-month lease agreement for one IM C4510 copier from Pacific Office Automation, Inc.
• A memorandum of understanding with the Deputy Sheriffs' Guild.
• A DSHS Agreement (2663-71265) with the Developmental Disabilities Administration.

The board will also receive a briefing on the Manhattan Project National Historic Park.

August 13 – Benton-Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee (BHAC)

The BHAC will review updates on Phase I (Columbia Valley Center for Recovery), Phase II (Recovery Housing), and Phase III (CVCR Youth Services). It will also receive status reports from the Communications, Mental Health Services, Substance Use Disorder Services, and Data and Quality Oversight sub-committees. No formal decisions or votes are indicated on the agenda.

Coming up

• **BOCC regular meeting** – August 11, 2026 (agenda includes EV charging stations, surplus property, and lease agreements).
• **BHAC meeting** – August 13, 2026 (recovery services updates and sub-committee reports).

Residents interested in these items can attend the meetings or review the official agendas and minutes on the county's website.

Benton County roundup: Virtual currency kiosk ban hearing, road safety project award on tap

Benton County commissioners have a full agenda for their July 21 meeting, including awarding a pedestrian safety project and ratifying a change order for Superior Court tenant improvements. Three recent county meetings — all with agendas published but minutes not yet available — covered a proposed ban on virtual currency kiosks, behavioral health updates, and multiple contract approvals.

July 21 — Board of Benton County Commissioners (upcoming)

The board will consider several items at its July 21 meeting:

• **Ratify Change Order No. 2** with ESF Development LLC for the Benton County Superior Court Tenant Improvement project.
• **Award the CE 154 Intersection Safety and Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Project** to Allstar Construction Group, Inc.
• **Memorandum of Understanding** with Code Four Labs for a 60-day free trial of AI-assisted law-enforcement report writing tools.
• **Accept work and release retainage** for on-call plumbing maintenance by Trade Services Northwest, Inc. (dba Mr. Rooter Plumbing).
• **Purchase Agreement** with Cosco Fire Protection, Inc. for fire detection, suppression, and inspection services.

The meeting also addresses interagency grant agreements with the Washington State Office of Public Defense and a historic preservation grant with Washington State University.

July 14 — Board of Benton County Commissioners

The agenda included a public hearing for Short Plat Vacation SPV 2026-003 (Wilson ~ D Hooper) and several contract items:

• Second Amendment to the contract with Mackay Sposito, LLC for the Two-Rivers Park Boardwalk Project.
• Awarding the 2026 Backup Generator Service and Repair Contract to Legacy Telecommunications LLC.
• Change Order #5 with Fowler General Construction, Inc. for the Fairgrounds Arena Upgrade Project.
• Approval of construction plans for Calico Road and Golden Eagle Circle for Eagle Butte Subdivision.

Minutes have not yet been published, so outcomes of these items are not confirmed.

July 9 — Benton-Franklin Behavioral Health Advisory Committee

The committee was scheduled to approve minutes from its June 11, 2026 meeting and receive presentations from Lutheran Community Services and the Columbia Valley Center for Recovery. The Columbia Valley Center for Recovery presentations covered three phases: Phase I updates, Phase II (Recovery Housing) updates, and Phase III (Youth Services) updates.

Minutes have not yet been published.

July 7 — Board of Benton County Commissioners

The agenda featured a public hearing on adding Title 20 to Benton County Code to prohibit virtual currency kiosks. Other items included:

• Contract with Apollo Solutions Group, LLC for the Courthouse HVAC Upgrades Project.
• Final Plat of Harvest Ridge Phase 1 (SUB 2026-002).
• Purchase of a Toyota Tacoma for the Road Department.
• Agreement with Attorney Tyler Ashby for District Court public defense services.

Minutes have not yet been published, so it is not confirmed which items were approved.

Coming up

• **July 21** — Board of Benton County Commissioners, 9:00 a.m. (agenda posted). Items include the CE 154 Intersection Safety and Pedestrian Crossing Enhancements Project award, the Superior Court tenant improvement change order, and a 60-day free trial of AI-assisted law-enforcement reporting tools.