Knox County commissioners opened two procurement packages on Jan. 8: bids for Knox County Water & Wastewater No. 7 (phase 1) and a separate package for a used paver. Commissioners did not award contracts at the meeting; staff said bid packets would be reviewed and a recommendation returned for commissioner action.

At the 10:00 a.m. bid opening for the Water & Wastewater No. 7 development (phase 1), the commission recorded at least two clear bids: Jamieson (approximately $93,590) and National Water Services ($198,891). Jeff, the county staff member who will review bids, was given the bid packets for completeness and compliance checks; the commissioners said awards should be expected after staff review, roughly within about a week.

A later 10:15 a.m. opening produced a single package for a used paver from Southeastern Equipment Company recorded at $131,170. Commissioners asked the engineer’s office to inspect the recorded machine year, hours and parts availability before recommending whether the county should accept the purchase. County staff said new pavers exceed the county’s budget (new machines were described as costing more than $500,000), prompting pursuit of used equipment that meets parts and serviceability criteria.

The county engineer and staff explained the operational case for owning paving equipment—improved compaction and lower contractor mobilization costs—and said maintenance would be handled by the engineer’s office if the county purchases the machine. The engineer also noted the county’s need for additional drivers (target staffing ~26 drivers) and said the office expects to resurface about 20 miles (overlay/chip seal) in 2026 and to use about 7,000 tons of patch material in addition to contracted paving.

Commissioners reminded attendees that opened bid packages are public records and that staff would return with recommendations; no awards were made at the Jan. 8 meeting.