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City officials say county invoiced large sums for road patching; commission to seek answers
Summary
Port St. Joe public works staff reported county invoices for road patching totaling $19,800 for three "batches," with more invoices expected. Commissioners criticized lack of prior communication and directed staff to engage county officials and seek a resolution.
Public Works Director Mike Moore told the City Commission the city has begun receiving invoices from the county for road‑patch work, the first for $19,800 covering three batches and another pending set that could bring the total to roughly $36,000 to $55,000 for multiple batches.
Moore said the county recently decided to require its contractors — primarily Roberts & Roberts — to handle patches in areas previously addressed by city crews or local contractors. "These are the first bills we have received," Moore said, adding the city historically performed its own patches for roughly $1,000 per batch.
Commissioners expressed alarm at the sudden change, faulting the county for not providing advance notice or negotiating a shared approach. One commissioner said the invoices could quickly deplete city paving funds and described the county action as effectively strong‑arming the city into using a single vendor. Commissioners directed staff to reach out to county officials and seek a negotiated resolution and possible contract pricing.
Public Works said the city had adjusted operations to avoid nonessential work that triggers county invoicing, but there will be unavoidable cases where the city must patch after utility repairs. The commission asked staff to prepare a resolution or formal response to the county and to return with options to manage the budgetary impact.
No formal settlement or payment decision was made at the meeting; commissioners said they would not pay outstanding invoices until they had met with the county and reviewed the county’s policy and communications.
The issue raised questions about intergovernmental coordination and the costs of outsourcing work the city has historically performed with city crews or local contractors.
