Rick Crager has been appointed as Benton County’s permanent county administrator, effective June 1, following three months in the acting and interim roles.
The Benton County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously at its May 26 meeting to make the appointment, bypassing a national search in favor of promoting from within.
Crager joined the county in 2021 as chief financial officer and was promoted to assistant county administrator in March 2024. He stepped into the acting county administrator role in February after the position was vacated, and the board formally named him interim county administrator in March while weighing options for a permanent hire…