County director says building-management upgrade could cut utilities about 25% at district court; maintenance budget and utilities discussed

John McGowan and other maintenance staff reviewed the maintenance division’s FY26 budget and operational concerns with the Norfolk County Commission on Feb. 19, flagging staffing vacancies, potential hourly changes for some full-time employees and uncertainty about utility-price assumptions used in the draft budget.

Staffing and operations: McGowan and other presenters said several positions are vacant or transitioning; the record shows at least one custodian (Frank Crowley) has provided notice and that other vacancies exist because of position moves and retirements. Commissioners and staff discussed a proposal to increase the standard full-time work week for certain maintenance positions from 37.5 to 40 hours to reduce weekend overtime; staff were asked to submit a resubmitted budget that reflects any hourly-change proposals.

Utilities and procurement questions: Commissioners pressed for updated estimates for electricity, natural gas and fuel costs; staff said FY25 numbers were still in the draft sheet and that procurement/treasurer staff would be asked to confirm multiyear contract rates or projected vendor increases. The board asked staff to seek vendor or contract information for each of the utilities before finalizing estimates.

Building-management system (BMS): County Director reported the Automated Building Systems deployment is starting this week at the district court and that the capital project was funded with ARPA dollars. He told the commission the vendor estimates a minimal annual utility savings of about 25% at district court — roughly $97,000 at that building — and said the system is expected to take a couple of months to deploy. The director described the BMS as a capital investment expected to yield operational utility savings across multiple county buildings if extended beyond the initial site.

Training and overtime: Staff confirmed safety training dates and described a process for grant reimbursement for training expenses through a Mega grant coordinated by the county. Commissioners reiterated the need to ensure proper contracting and vendor coordination for both utilities and planned capital projects.

Ending: The commission took maintenance budget items under advisement and directed staff to return with updated utility estimates, a resubmitted personnel budget showing proposed hourly changes and vendor contract information for fuel and electricity.