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Kerr County approves supplemental payments for new animal shelter, court debates unplanned fire-marshal requirement
Summary
The county approved additional payments and a 50% deposit for kennel units and voted to add a fire-marshal-mandated nonburn coating to the new animal-control facility, prompting commissioners to raise process concerns.
Kerr County commissioners on Sept. 22 approved supplemental payments tied to the county’s new animal-control facility and authorized an additional construction requirement that county staff said was raised late by the city fire marshal.
Animal-services director Reagan Gibbons told the court the county needed to authorize extra payments to complete dog kennels ordered for the new shelter. The court approved a supplemental payment to Stone Mountain for the kennels and also authorized a 50% down payment so contractors could begin work. Gibbons and staff reported the final vendor invoice increased the kennel total to about $278,006.82 and that a shortfall of roughly $43,573 required court action to cover the remainder.
Separately, commissioners voted to approve a nonburn interior coating — a requirement identified by the city fire marshal — that was not in the original scope of work. County staff said the coating costs were roughly $40,000; to cover it the project scaled back the kennel count from 60 to 52 in an earlier action. Several commissioners expressed frustration that the coating requirement surfaced late in the plan-review process and said the city should have identified the need earlier.
“I don’t like it, but it’s one of those things we have to do to get our certificate of occupancy,” a commissioner said. Another commissioner said the county and city had worked together extensively and that staff had met with the fire marshal multiple times; staff characterized the change as an unanticipated but necessary amendment to meet code.
The court also approved related business items on animal services: adoption of a modified job description for a shelter manager and acceptance of donations totaling $5,854 for August. The court voted unanimously on the kennel supplemental payment, the 50% deposit authorization, the coating approval and the job-description change.
The court’s actions are intended to keep the project moving to completion and to secure a certificate of occupancy. Commissioners said they will ask the city to explain the late finding and voiced concern about project cost growth on a multi-million-dollar building program.
