Budget work continues for Benton County

VINTON — Benton County Auditor Hayley Rippel cautioned Benton County Supervisors about using its fund balance reserves as the board continued working on the county’s fiscal year 2026 budget Tuesday.

Once the reserves are gone, they are gone, Rippel said.

The reserves are needed for budget amendments, emergencies and disasters said Rippel. If grants are not approved, then the spending authority shouldn’t be allowed.

Rippel said later in an email that the goal is to maintain a 25% fund balance reserve for that cushion between the end of a fiscal year and the first half of tax collections that don’t come until September.

The levies can’t be changed at that point, but the spending authority can.

The Board of Supervisors also focused on a statement that is done each year regarding property taxes.

One area that needed action was that of the rural access hub, which the board believes ill not be funded the next fiscal year. Benton County Rural Access Hub provides “crisis stabilization,” working with residents and other county departments and agencies to connect resources for those in need.

Supervisors talked about the impact of the federal budget on the local budget, as well as the state lowering what the counties can levy.

Rippel said that if the county wants to provide services, it has to have funding to do so.

Supervisors said the budget is set up as a worst-case scenario. The county does not have to spend all of its money. Irresponsible claims need to stop, they said.

The board said it would like to have a work session to go over the budget.

The public hearing for the maximum levy will be March 26, after which the budget will be published. The county can’t exceed the published amounts.

The regular budget will be approved in late April.

Supervisor Ron Tippett said the bottom-line number has to come down. Instead of expanding, the county needs to maintain for a while.

In other business, supervisors set a budget amendment hearing for 9:30 a.m. April 1 and approved a canvass for the special election for the city of Urbana.

Supervisors approved the audit of the election for mayor and one city council member.

The board discussed SF 376, a bill for an act relating to the siting and operation of renewable electric power generating facilities.

Discussion continued on adding lights to the Blairstown/Van Horne corner.

The board meeting closed with an update on the courthouse clock.