BENTONVILLE -- Roads and bridges were two of the topics at Tuesday's meeting where Benton County's justices of the peace worked to prepare the 2018 budget.
The Budget Committee met in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Administration Building.
County budget
Benton County’s justices of the peace will continue work on the 2018 budget when they meet at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Quorum Courtroom in the County Administration Building, 215 E. Central Ave in Bentonville.
Source: Staff report
Jay Frazier, public services administrator, updated the justices of the peace on the Road Department's work this year.
He said the department paved, chipped and sealed 53 miles of roads in the county and improved at least 41 roads with red dirt. He said the department completed 26 projects in connection with safety issues.
Frazier discussed the department's objectives for next year. He said the plan is to improve and repair 63 miles of roads with overlay or chip and seal and also improve at least 15 dirt roads.
The 2018 asphalt/crack-seal projects will have a budget of $1,445,910, Frazier said.
The 2018 capital request for equipment is $2,792,000, which includes $917,500 return for sold equipment.
The Road Department is seeking to buy five graders valued at $1.5 million, and four dump trucks estimated at $572,000, Frazier said.
Frazier said the War Eagle Bridge was recently completed and work on the Spanker Creek Bridge and Wildcat Bridge will be completed in 2018.
The county also plans to repair Wagon Wheel Bridge and Robinson Road Bridge with an engineering cost of $475,000.
Josh Beam, engineer, told the justices of the peace they have developed a five-year bridge plan with the goal of bringing all of the bridges back in good repair.
The cost for design of the Wagon Wheel Bridge is $250,000 but a design grant pays $187,000 and the county's portion is $62,500, Beam said.
It's going to be an expensive bridge to replace," County Judge Barry Moehring said.
Moehring said he's talked with Springdale Mayor Doug Sprouse about working together in obtaining a grant for the construction and repairing the Wagon Wheel Bridge.
The committee also heard requests concerning new employees from different departments.
One concerned Prosecutor Nathan Smith's request for another legal assistant. The position is needed since the state is providing the office with two deputy prosecutor positions. The state will pay for the positions, but doesn't pay for the support positions. The legal assistant will work with the new deputy prosecutors.
The committee reviewed last week the 2018 budget request for the Sheriff's Office and jail. Sheriff Shawn Holloway presented the group with requests for 18 employees with a cost of nearly $1 million and capital requests for vehicles and equipment.
Justice of the Peace Joel Jones questioned whether the committee should ask the larger departments to come back to the committee to discuss their requests.
Justice of the Peace Tom Allen, chairman of the Finance Committee, didn't feel it was necessary to hear again from the departments.
Allen said they are going through "the big ticket items," but it doesn't mean all the requests will be approved.
"We are going to hear what they presented and then we are going to give them what we can afford," Allen said.
The committee will have another meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday. Moehring will give a presentation on facilities and building capital projects at the meeting.
NW News on 10/18/2017