Beaufort County approves engineering contract, personnel reclassifications, reimbursements and vehicle purchases

At its March meeting the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners approved several contracts, personnel reclassifications and budget actions affecting county projects and operations.

Economic development: The board approved a qualifications-based selection under the Mini-Brooks Act and authorized execution of an engineering contract with LE Wooten & Company for infrastructure work at the Washington Beaufort County Industrial Park. The total engineering contract amount presented to the board was $327,200, to be funded through an IDF grant and related sources.

Finance and reimbursements: Finance Director Anita asked the board to approve reimbursement request #15 for the Washington Elementary School project. WIMCO submitted an invoice for $2,798,610.53; the grant-reimbursable portion listed was $2,260,004.37 with a county share of roughly $538,001.72 drawn from a previously set-aside $10,000,000 transfer. Staff reported the project is about two-thirds complete and has no change orders to date; the board authorized the chairman to sign the reimbursement form.

Personnel reclassifications: The board approved a request from Public Health to reclassify one Public Health Nurse 3 position to medical assistant positions (presented by Janelle) to address RN recruitment challenges; commissioners clarified that mandated RN roles could not be downgraded for programs required by the state. The board also approved a reclassification in the finance office (accounts-payable specialist to a higher grade) to support grant management and automation efforts; the hiring-range midpoint difference cited was $4,035.

Fleet and capital: The sheriff's office reported $55,805 in insurance proceeds from vehicle accidents and requested moving those proceeds to the capital budget for replacement. The board approved moving the proceeds and later approved purchase of three budgeted vehicles totaling $127,435 (two Dodge Durangos and one Jeep Grand Cherokee).

Payments and process discussion: Finance staff discussed exploring ACH vendor payments for greater fraud protection and efficiency, and commissioners requested accommodations for residents and vendors who wish to continue receiving checks; staff said any move to ACH would be incremental and would preserve check payments where appropriate.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the engineering contract authorization, the public-health reclassification, the finance reclassification, the reimbursement form for Washington Elementary (#15) totaling $2,798,610.53, acceptance and reallocation of $55,805 insurance proceeds to capital, and the $127,435 vehicle purchase. Specific roll-call tallies by commissioner name were not recorded in the transcript; approvals were taken by voice/raised-hand votes.