Commission approves $255,000 jail budget amendment after tense debate

Franklin County commissioners voted 12–4 on March 15 to amend the county general fund to cover contract extensions and related costs for the county’s new jail construction project.

The amendment, presented to the commission in a package of budget resolutions, was tied to multiple contract change orders and extensions the county’s jail construction manager said were needed to complete security wiring and other finish work. At a March 2 Finance Committee meeting, construction manager Matthew BoBo told county officials the building shell and general work were complete but that remaining work included specialized security, wiring and system integrations that contractors had billed as change orders. BoBo told the committee those outstanding change orders amounted to roughly a quarter of a million dollars; committee and county staff identified available savings in jail payroll and associated benefits to cover the cost without a new tax levy.

Sheriff Tim Fuller told the commission the facility was largely finished but urged the board to fund the remaining work so the jail could be certified and begin normal operations. “Physically the jail is finished,” Fuller said at the March 2 committee meeting, “but the security and wiring work will take a couple of weeks and we can’t operate without it.”

Commissioners who voted for the amendment said the county needed to finish the building to avoid losing accreditation or delaying housing inmates, including contract prisoners that provide revenue to county coffers. Commissioner Greg King, an outspoken supporter of completing the project, said halting payment would jeopardize the county’s investment and the facility’s readiness. “If we don’t complete this project for the taxpayers, all that money already spent won’t do the county any good,” King said at the Finance Committee meeting.

Opponents raised questions about financial oversight and whether the project’s original budgeting and contract management had exercised adequate contingency planning. In the roll-call vote recorded by the clerk, Adam Casey, Dale Schultz, Greg King and David Eldridge voted “nay.” Those against the amendment said the county needed more detailed accounting and tighter limits on contractor extensions. At the commission meeting, Casey warned against repeatedly using payroll savings as a funding source and urged “no more money” beyond what the board approved.

The amendment the board approved (filed in records as Resolution 3d-0321) reallocated county general fund lines — including identified savings in staffing lines — to cover the outstanding contract costs for jail completion and related project expense lines. The final tally recorded in the minutes shows a 12–4 roll call in favor; the minutes list the four dissenting commissioners by name.

County finance staff presented the amendment as a way to avoid issuing short-term debt or delaying final construction work, and commissioners approved additional related budget and school-related amendments that were bundled on the agenda. The commission also approved other routine business items that evening, including notary appointments, rezonings and the county road list.

The county’s next steps will be to process contractor change orders, complete remaining system integrations, and pursue final certification and occupancy steps for the jail. County officials said they expect the on-site finish work and security integration to be completed within weeks, after which the facility will enter final inspection phases.