Liberty County discusses $929,492.40 purchase to replace jail locks and intercoms

Liberty County Commissioners Court met in a special session April 28 to consider a $929,492.40 purchase from Sedapic Incorporated for replacement locks and intercom system work at the Liberty County Jail.

County Judge said at the meeting, “this is to purchase of repairs to locks at intercom at Liberty County Jail for $929,492.40 from Sedapic Incorporated.” The purchase was presented as an emergency repair intended to address deficiencies the county’s jail inspector and the jail commission have cited.

The county’s jail representative said the intercoms and individual cell locks are a life-safety issue. “Intercoms are a life safety issue, and that's one of the reasons they wanna shut us down is because we have to have two-way communication,” the jail representative said. He described the scope as extensive — roughly 130 doors that must be rewired and fitted with new locks — and said the vendor recommended by the state inspector has previously supplied comparable systems to other Texas counties.

County staff said the county received two bids: the recommended vendor’s bid of $929,492.40 and a higher bid of about $1.1 million from another contractor. The recommended vendor was described as having completed similar work for McLennan County and being acceptable to the jail commission and the county’s inspector.

Officials discussed schedule and logistics. The vendor estimated 15 to 20 weeks to fabricate components and said once parts arrive they could complete installation in about eight days with two crews working night and day. Commissioners and staff also flagged practical constraints: roughly 150 inmates remain housed in the facility, and contractors generally prefer not to work in occupied dorms without additional security measures.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly emphasized that the locks and intercom work is necessary but not sufficient to meet all jail-commission requirements. County Judge and other speakers referenced a prior remedial order and additional repairs that remain outstanding, including a public-address (PA) system, fire-damage repairs estimated at about $600,000 for the west end of the building, roof work, air-conditioning repairs and Halon system work in the cafeteria. County staff said the maintenance department has been moved under the jail, which they said will improve ongoing upkeep.

Speakers also discussed procurement and project management options. Several commissioners urged developing a single game plan and involving a general contractor or an experienced project manager who could assess the full scope and coordinate subcontractors; others argued the county should proceed with purchasing the locks now as a demonstrable “good faith” step to show progress to the jail commission and to preserve the county’s legal position in pending proceedings.

A motion to approve the lock repairs was made and seconded during the meeting; the record in the transcript does not show a clear roll-call tally. Meeting audio and video indicated one commissioner’s connection was intermittent and the clerk said that commissioner’s vote could not be captured at that moment. The transcript does not record a final named vote count for the motion or an explicit final outcome. The purchase was described as to be funded from the county general fund; speakers noted some other repairs may be covered by insurance or require additional appropriations.

The court planned to continue the conversation with the jail commission and with legal counsel; staff said a meeting in Austin was scheduled later in the week to discuss the county’s progress and defense on the remedial items. Several commissioners said they will seek a project plan and contractor oversight after approving immediate, targeted repairs.

Documents and vendor quotes referenced at the meeting were distributed to commissioners during the session but were not attached to the publicly available minutes included with the transcript.