(KNSI) – Benton County is moving ahead with the building of a new government center in Foley after a 4-1 vote at Tuesday’s Board of Commissioners meeting.
The low bid came in roughly $5 million below what was expected, and the commissioners accepted the $24.5 million proposal at a special meeting on June 23rd. That did not stop opposition to the project from mounting, though. A petition, known as a reverse referendum, that would force the issue to go to a vote during the general election garnered 1,900 signatures.
On Tuesday, many of those signees crammed into the current facility to demand the vote be authorized. The public hearing and board discussion on the issue ran approximately two hours. Officials had already come up with a workaround to avoid the dictates of a reverse referendum, though. Benton County will borrow for the project through the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, rather than traditional Capital Improvement Program bonds.
An owner of a median-priced home in Benton County will pay roughly $85 per year to finance the project.
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