Marlboro County Council approves $124,000 bid for law-enforcement training center, contingent on sheriff funding

Marlboro County Council approved a bid on March 11 to build a 40-by-40 law-enforcement training facility, contingent on the county sheriff securing the funds to pay for the project.

Council voted to award the contract to Troika Group for $124,000 after Finance Director Wes Park presented three bids listed in the minutes: Troika Group $124,000; SNB Construction $212,000; and Michael J Jordan Construction $235,685. The minutes show Council approved the award "contingent upon the project being funded by the Sheriff through donations." The motion was made by Councilman Steve Blackmon and seconded by Councilman Lafeyette Jackson; the recorded tally was seven in favor and one opposed (Verd Odom).

Sheriff McNeil told the council he intended to fund the project with donations and said he had "access" to $124,000 to pay for it. When asked whether he would fund the project, he replied, "Yes." Finance Director Wes Park said funding for the project would be provided by the sheriff per the minutes.

Minutes list the three bids and note a pre-bid meeting was held. The written minutes contain an internal inconsistency in labeling which bid was "lowest," but numerically the Troika Group figure in the minutes is the lowest dollar amount reported.

Council discussion recorded in the minutes focused on where the money would come from; Councilman Verd Odom questioned how much the sheriff actually had available before voting against the motion. The motion passed with the stated contingency that the county would only proceed if the sheriff’s funding was verified.

The council did not record a timeline for verifying the donations or a contract award date in the minutes. The approval, as recorded, is contingent and does not itself obligate county funds until the financing condition is met.