A proposal to end Benton County’s 50-year relationship with Dial-A-Bus and bring the Benton Area Transit program in-house is moving through a planning process that county officials say could take until early 2027 before a final decision is made — but the nonprofit and its clients aren’t waiting that long to push back.
Benton County Public Works Director Gary Stockhoff said the county is currently working through an implementation plan that will examine personnel, finances, information technology and other operational requirements needed if county commissioners ultimately decide to self-perform the transit service. A draft of that plan is expected by the end of this year with a board decision potentially coming in early 2027 and any transition not occurring until Jan. 1, 2028 at the earliest.
“We for sure didn’t want to look like we’re just rushing into this,” Stockhoff said. “There’s a lot of stuff we have to do.”…