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Ellis County amends construction order to finish juvenile detention renovations, raises spending cap
Summary
The court approved an amendment to a prior minute order to cover additional door and finishing work at the county's juvenile facility so it can seek certification as an 8-bed long-term detention facility; staff said the project is complete and the amended not-to-exceed cap discussed was $1.25 million.
Ellis County Commissioners voted to amend a prior construction minute order to cover additional work at the county's juvenile facility needed for certification as an eight-bed long-term detention facility.
County Auditor Stacy Parr said Capital Construction completed the renovation work but a post-walkthrough found several doors did not meet secure-facility standards; contractors replaced and repainted doors, which increased the final contract cost. Parr said the project is now complete and the county will seek certification from the juvenile board and the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD).
Parr told the court she set the amendment "so that we didn't have to come back and do this again," and indicated a not-to-exceed figure discussed in the meeting was approximately $1.25 million to cover the full scope of renovation work. The amendment approves revised contract authority to ensure final billing is within the amended cap.
Why it matters: having a certified local long-term juvenile detention bed could reduce the county's per-diem costs that arise when juveniles are sent to out-of-county facilities, and gives the county capacity to accept placements from other jurisdictions.
The Court moved to approve the amendment; the motion passed unanimously. No further conditions or appeals were recorded.
Ending: With the amendment approved, officials said they will complete certification steps with the juvenile board and TJJD.
