Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects Splost topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Henry County reallocates SPLOST funds, increases aquatic center contingency and awards road construction contracts
Summary
The Board approved a SPLOST 5 budget amendment to move completed-project balances to active projects, increased the aquatic center construction contingency to 6%, and awarded contracts for Dutchtown Road and Berg Road construction; the board also approved design and engineering supplements for Flippin Road and SR 81.
Henry County commissioners on Jan. 7 approved a series of capital finance and construction actions intended to accelerate SPLOST-funded projects, increase construction contingency for an aquatic center under construction and award multiple road contracts.
Rocky (staff member) presented a SPLOST 5 budget amendment to reallocate funds from completed projects to active countywide and district projects. The board approved the amendment without roll-call votes. Rocky said some changes were made to the published list after consultation with commissioners and that approximately $2,076,000 had been reallocated countywide after removing a previously listed $1,500,000 item.
The board then approved a resolution to increase the aquatic center construction contingency by $2,012,473.93, raising the contingency to $3,012,004.73 (about 6% of the construction contract). A county staff member explained the county's original contingency was approximately 2%, below the industry typical 5–10%, and enumerated reasons for the increase including unforeseen subsurface conditions and other change items. Commissioner Lewis said he supported beginning SPLOST projects before collections start to avoid schedule delays.
The board approved construction awards and design supplements for several SPLOST 5 projects:
- Dutchtown Road: award to Backbone Infrastructure for $2,793,624 for road construction connecting Mount Carmel Road with Juniper Road; staff said total project costs will exceed the contract amount and some work will be reimbursed by developers.
- Flippin Road extension: approved a supplemental design agreement (roughly $178,000) to convert a previously rural-design segment to an urban section that adds sidewalks, curb and gutter and additional drainage work; staff said the bridge will accommodate five-foot sidewalks and further construction costs will be presented later.
- SR 81 widening (Stereo Route 81): approved a supplemental agreement for a required value-engineering (VE) study costing about $28,000 as requested by Georgia Department of Transportation review.
- Berg Road: staff recommended and the board approved purchasing 1,980 stream-mitigation credits from Little Sandy Creek Mitigation at $200 per credit ($396,000) as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The board also awarded construction for Berg Road to Backbone Infrastructure for $5,039,636; funds for both items are available in SPLOST 5 District 1 accounts.
Commissioners discussed contingencies and procurement mechanics; no individual roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the public transcript for these items; each motion was seconded and the board announced "motion carries." The board also approved a separate SPLOST 6 financing-intent resolution to declare the county's intent to use capital project financing for certain SPLOST 6 projects so work can begin before collections start in April 2025.
Sources: Presentations and resolutions to the Henry County Board of Commissioners, Jan. 7, 2025; remarks by Rocky and staff.
