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Court weighs hiring assistant construction manager vs. third‑party consultants for county projects
Summary
Commissioners debated whether to add a $65,000 assistant construction manager role or increase contract labor funds to hire third‑party estimating and project expertise for upcoming courthouse and precinct annex projects.
Waller County commissioners discussed how best to staff construction oversight and project estimating for a slate of county capital projects, weighing an in‑house assistant construction manager against hiring third‑party consultants.
Commissioners and county staff described a growing workload that includes the courthouse work and two upcoming precinct annex projects. Danny, the county’s construction manager, and other commissioners said the complexity of construction estimating since the COVID‑era supply‑chain and tariff changes argues for outside expertise. “Estimating the cost of doing things is just not the same,” one commissioner said, adding that consultants have up‑to‑date market knowledge that entry‑level staff may lack.
The budget includes a proposed assistant construction manager position budgeted at approximately $65,000, and staff reported that the county increased contract labor by $50,000 this year to be used for outside contractors. Commissioners discussed pros and cons: an entry‑level in‑house assistant would require training and add employment burdens (benefits, insurance), while third‑party vendors can provide specialized, current cost estimating on an as‑needed basis.
Some commissioners favored providing Danny with a flexible contract budget to hire estimating and on‑call expertise when projects demand it rather than hiring an additional full‑time in‑house hire that may not immediately reduce his workload.
Ending: The court directed staff to consider how best to allocate the $65,000 assistant slot and the increased $50,000 contract labor budget — either to hire an in‑house assistant construction manager or to preserve flexibility for third‑party estimating and specialty contractors as projects proceed.
