For anyone wondering what projects Benton County officials may want to spend around $24 million on, these next few weeks could get interesting.
So far, what we know is that on July 11, the County Commissioners asked staff to conduct an analysis and return to the Board on September 5 with some specific capital improvement options for consideration.
This all started in February when the Board allocated $7.2 million for capital improvement projects for the 2023-25 budget – but decided to wait on dedicating specific amounts to projects until there was a better understanding of how much would come in from state and federal sources.
Also, voters had not at that point decided on the county’s ballot measure seeking a new tax levy for justice facilities.
Since then, a final number has come in from this year’s state legislative session, local voters have said no to the tax levy, and a fairly clear picture of what can be expected from federal lawmakers has come into view.
Here’s What the County Says it Has Secured: For 2023, the State Legislature appropriated $13.8 million in state funding to support new and existing capital improvement projects in Benton County.
Congress added $3.1 million of Congressional Delegated Spending (CDS) to its appropriation bills for the 2024 budget to target rural capital infrastructure improvements. Including a match requirement from the county, which will equate to $3.9 million of needed investments. While the appropriation bills must still be finalized by Congress and approved by the President, county officials say there is traditionally a high probability of approval of CDS awards once they have been put into the appropriation bills.
Breaking Down the $13.8 Million in State Funds…
New Courthouse, $8.8 Million: An additional $8.8 million of state general obligation bond funding was added to the state’s already committed $22.3 million to provide sufficient match to the county’s dedicated funding commitment for the construction cost of a new county courthouse. The county has contributed additional resources to this project to ensure it is constructed in accordance with best practices to include the District Attorney’s Office.
Emergency Operations Center, $5.0 Million: The State Legislature appropriated $5.0 million of State Lottery Backed Bonds to be combined with $1.3 million of existing federal and county resources for a new Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The County is currently working on finalizing options and initial estimates for a new EOC to be considered by the Board and to determine whether there are other county investments needed to begin this project.
Breaking down the Federal Dollars…
Rural Sewer Infrastructure Improvements, $1.16 Million: Through the sponsorship of Representative Val Hoyle, $1.16 million in federal funds has been included in the Senate’s Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Bill for a rural sewer infrastructure project. If this is approved, it will provide $1.45 million (federal funds plus county match) to address the necessary improvements for the aging sewer system in the Alpine and Alsea Service Districts. This project will help ensure community safety and prevent utility bills from increasing for what is already a financially burdened population.
Monroe Health Center, $1 Million: Representative Hoyle also sponsored $1.0 million of federal funds via the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food & Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to support a new modular facility for the Monroe Health Center. The county has already secured approximately $800,000 of resources for this project, and these additional resources will enable the project to begin moving forward. The Monroe Health Center is a School-based Health Center adjacent to Monroe Grade School. The existing modular building is small and outdated and can no longer accommodate the growing healthcare needs of the community. The increased square footage will mean more staff and medical equipment can be made available to serve area residents.
Regional Public Safety Radio Infrastructure, $963,000: Through the sponsorship of Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, Benton County was identified in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill to receive $963,000 for a regional public safety radio project.
Those funds, along with the county’s $240,750 required match, will install antennas and purchase radios to improve public safety and emergency response.
A significant challenge with Benton County’s radio communications is the lack of interoperability and situational awareness caused by law enforcement and Fire/Emergency Medical Services (EMS) utilizing different radio systems. Law enforcement and Public Works use 700 Megahertz frequencies while all Fire/EMS agencies utilize VHF systems.
In addition, many portions of the rural county have “dead-zones” in which no radio communications are available. The federal funding will support the installation of three 700 MHz antennas and purchase of new radios to eliminate dead-zones and achieve interoperability between law enforcement and Fire/EMS.
Of course, all this will ultimately need to be approved by our fair burgh’s county commissioners.
City Attorneys Leaving: At the end of the Corvallis City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 21, City Attorney Jim Brewer informed the councilors that longtime city attorney staffer Catherine Platt would be leaving and that additionally, he and fellow attorney Dave Coulombe would be retiring next March.
Currently, the City contracts the private law firm Brewer & Coulombe, PC for its legal services.
He took the opportunity to urge the councilors to consider next steps at their first meeting in September. We’ll keep you posted.
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