Benton County has killed plans to establish an industrial development authority. The county Quorum Court voted unanimously to table an amended version of an ordinance to create the Northwest Arkansas Regional Industrial and Technology Development Authority. The decision came after vocal public disapproval.
The ordinance would have allowed the county judge to set up a board that would finance and build large-scale real estate projects to attract businesses to the region. Thirty-five people spoke against the ordinance at the Benton County Administration Building last night, citing concerns with oversight and eminent domain.
Brent Powers was one of those 35 people. He's a rancher and farmer from Highfill.
"I am in absolute imminent danger of losing my land. And so that's what concerned me the most — that a private entity can decide that this land is needed for their project. And I'm right in the middle of this thing. Can I lay my head down at night and say, oh, well, the future of this farm, five generations, is safe? Well, it's not."
Act 576, passed by the state legislature in 2025, gives local governments the ability to create IDA projects. The initial proposal would have created a regional authority with Madison and Washington counties, but both of those counties rejected the proposal.
The city of Highfill is discussing its own IDA ordinance at a city council meeting tonight.
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