The Quorum Court of Marion County voted to rent a temporary generator and proceed with replacement and installation work at the county detention facility after staff reported biodiesel contamination rendered the existing generator inoperable.

Speaker 1 (unidentified) described the problem: the detention facility's original generator grew algae after biodiesel was placed in the tank during the first fuel fill. Speaker 1 said crews cleaned the tank but algae remained in fuel lines and complete cleanup would be costly. "It would only cost about $10,000 more than that to put a brand new generator with a warranty back in place," Speaker 1 said, explaining that the county currently has no operable generator at that 911/jail facility and cannot do without one.

Costs discussed in the packet and in meeting remarks included a rental quote of $11,784.02 to rent, deliver, fill and install a temporary generator for two months (first-month quote plus $3,734 for the second month), an estimated $10,432 to run new natural-gas lines to the generator location, and a replacement-generator total of $86,786.47. Speaker 1 noted that a new natural-gas generator was proposed so the facility would rely on existing natural-gas service rather than additional fuel deliveries.

Speakers asked who had introduced the biodiesel into the tank; Speaker 1 said she did not know. Speaker 9 said, "Whoever put that in there should be liable for it," but no party was identified in the transcript and no formal liability finding was made during the meeting.

The court approved the appropriation (with the caveat that ordinance language had minor edits to be fixed by the clerk before final posting) and carried the motion by voice vote. Officials noted a lead time of six to eight weeks for a new generator and that rental would cover the interim period.