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Franklin County amends administrative code, sets change‑order limits and raises procurement thresholds
Summary
After debate over wording and safeguards, the Franklin County Fiscal Court approved second‑reading amendments to Chapter 30 that let the county judge executive approve change orders up to 10% of the overall project not to exceed $30,000 and raise certain vendor selection thresholds (adopted as amended).
Franklin County’s fiscal court approved a package of administrative code changes on second reading Jan. 7 that clarifies authority for contract change orders and raises vendor procurement thresholds.
The court amended Chapter 30 to allow the county judge executive to approve change orders that do not exceed 10% of the overall project scope, capped at $30,000, language members added after months of committee review. County Attorney Max explained the statute allows ordinances to be amended between first and second readings and supported clarifying the definition of "project."
Magistrates repeatedly pressed for clarity and safeguards. One magistrate said past road projects had substantial overruns and warned that vague wording could permit an individual to approve large unvetted additions; another said adding the words "overall project scope" would prevent incremental expansions that exceed the original intent. "We tried to keep those things," the judge said, describing the compromise as balancing oversight and operational efficiency.
The court also debated raising the county’s informal procurement threshold. Planning and budget staff and the county treasurer recommended increasing the vendor selection limit that currently reads $22,000; the treasurer argued a $40,000 threshold would reduce the time and paperwork of formal RFPs while others urged guardrails to avoid split purchases or aggregate circumvention. The court ultimately approved the package as amended, and agreed staff will contemporaneously amend all affected subsections where numeric thresholds appear.
Supporters said the changes will speed routine projects and reduce delays caused by frequent change orders and lengthy RFP cycles. Critics sought additional language tying change orders to the project’s original scope and asked staff to preserve reporting so the court can monitor cumulative change orders over a project’s life.
The ordinances passed by voice vote during the Jan. 7 voting session after committee discussion; the changes will take effect according to the adoption timelines in the county code.
