Finance committee forwards $758,000 jail HVAC replacement bid to county board, asks sheriff to seek second bid

The Ashland County Finance Committee voted to forward to the full county board a Jamar Company proposal to replace and reengineer the sheriff’s office and jail heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning systems. Committee members asked the sheriff to seek a second competitive bid before the county board meeting.

Sheriff Brian (identified in the meeting) and Jamar representatives said the existing system is roughly 29–30 years old, has required repeated repairs in recent years and contains components past typical life expectancy. Jamar submitted a phased design‑build proposal and told the committee that lead times for some replacement parts are long; the contractor requested an initial down payment (the firm referenced $100,000) to allow procurement of long‑lead materials in time for a fall installation window.

Jamar gave a cost‑benefit overview and estimated energy savings for new equipment: about $4,200 annually for new cooling equipment and about $8,700 annually for new condensing boilers, figures the contractor said represent energy‑use reductions compared with existing equipment.

Committee members asked about salvage value for recently purchased repair parts (a roughly $18,000 air compressor purchased the previous year), warranty terms, and whether the Inflation Reduction Act or other federal programs might provide rebates or incentives. Jamar said the company’s installation labor warranty is one year and that manufacturer warranties (for example, a multi‑year compressor warranty) would apply; Jamar also said it would assist the county in pursuing energy rebates.

Committee members expressed a desire for competitive pricing and transparency: one member asked the sheriff to solicit another bid or obtain documentation showing that alternative contractors are unable to bid the project. Jamar said the market includes few contractors that do this type of large jail HVAC overhaul and that Jamar has recent experience with similar county projects; Jamar also offered to order long‑lead items and carry them into the next fiscal year to ease short‑term budget impact.

A motion to forward the Jamar proposal to the county board for approval passed after the committee added an amendment requesting that the sheriff seek a second bid or documentation of non‑responsiveness from other contractors before the board meeting on Feb. 18. Committee members discussed funding options; the administrator noted roughly $256,000 in capital debt‑levy funds available for capital expenses that could be applied to the project and that the remaining amount would need to be identified through the budget process or by borrowing.

The committee recommended the board consider the project on Feb. 18 and asked that the sheriff and staff provide updated funding information and any additional bids or vendor responses prior to the board meeting.