Nelson County Fiscal Court authorizes up to $575,000 for two tower projects, directs lease signings

The Nelson County Fiscal Court on an unspecified date authorized spending of up to $575,000 to complete two county tower projects and approved related lease actions, court members said during the meeting.

Court members discussed a series of cost estimates and negotiations that reduced some contractor line items. County staff said a contractor agreed to a $20,000 ceiling for a portion of work that earlier had been estimated above $30,000. The court heard that Salt River had offered a $12,000 service estimate but that the county later concluded the site would require primary service rather than a service line jump, increasing the projected cost for that portion.

County staff reported the project-level total cost calculation as $514,102.40. The fiscal packet included a budget for tower projects of $375,000 and a separate committed-projects line of $200,000, which together were cited as available funding up to the $575,000 authorization. The court also reviewed a contingency line of $60,897.60 to cover unforeseen conditions such as differing subsurface rock.

Officials told the court the primary service run to the site is roughly 800 feet and that geotechnical work had not yet been completed; staff warned subsurface conditions could require design changes. Staff said lease terms with the two landowners could extend up to 50 years and that the county expects monthly costs of $800 per leased site to be budgeted in the dispatch budget.

A motion to authorize the expenditure and related actions passed. The court also approved a separate motion authorizing the county judge and staff to sign leases, options and other transactional documents to allow work to begin while formal lease paperwork is finalized and returned to the court for review.

Court members said they will attempt to monitor contractor hours and costs during construction and to limit liability by using negotiated ceilings where possible. Two members also emphasized staff will bring finalized lease documents back to the court for review.

Details that remain to be finalized include precise geotechnical costs, final contract language, and whether final contract change orders will be needed if subsurface rock differs from expectations.

The court approved the motions by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public transcript.

The county manager and public works staff said the projects are expected to improve communications and emergency service coverage in the county’s southern areas once complete.