Benton County Budget

Benton County Budget

Every two (2) years the Financial Services Department works in collaboration with Department Directors to create proposed budgets, these budgets take into account current service levels, inflation, and future goals. The Chief Financial Officer and the Senior Budget Strategist vet and approve the proposed budgets, then they are presented to the Budget Committee for additional review and approval.

The Budget Committee consists of our three (3) elected Commissioners and three (3) appointed Benton County residents. The Budget Committee hears the presentations over the course of multiple days; all hearings are open to the public. This typically takes place in the spring, from April to May. Once the Budget Committee has considered all aspects of the proposed budget, they can make amendments, if necessary, and then they move the agreed upon budget to the Board of Commissioners. The Board will conduct a final public hearing and adopt the budget.

The budget process is similar for each service district; five (5) service district budgets are prepared on an annual basis versus the biennial basis that the County follows.

The Board of Commissioners can modify the current budget within a public hearing; we advertise the hearings and post them on our website.