Commissioners approve $3.63 million construction warrant despite questions over $19,000 in vendor reimbursements

Rockingham County Commissioners voted Feb. 13 to approve an off-cycle payment of $3,633,721.52 to Houghton Construction Corporation for work on the Harvey construction project, despite at least one commissioner objecting to several reimbursement entries that lacked receipts.

The payment was presented as an off-cycle accounts-payable warrant. A commissioner noted the warrant included about $19,000 in reimbursement requests from the contractor that did not include supporting receipts and said they could not support the practice of approving such entries without backup. Other commissioners and staff pushed back that the disputed amount was a small fraction of the overall warrant and praised the contractor’s progress on the project.

County staff and commissioners discussed options for obtaining missing receipts. A county official said the receipts would need to be requested from the contractor and that the county’s practices previously allowed some invoices to be paid without every supporting document but that it would be preferable to have full backup in the future. Commissioners said they want a solution so future warrants can be approved unanimously.

On the motion to approve the warrant, the roll call recorded one “no” vote and two “yes” votes. The meeting record shows the motion passed.

Why it matters: the payment funds a major county construction project and the discussion highlighted ongoing tension between ensuring vendor accountability and keeping large construction projects on schedule. Commissioners said they expect clearer invoice documentation going forward.

What the record shows: the warrant language, the $19,000 figure for unreconciled reimbursement items, staff statements that the missing receipts must come from the contractor, and the final roll-call vote approving the warrant.