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Gadsden County approves package of budget amendments, construction contracts and grants
Summary
At its March 17 meeting the Gadsden County Board approved multiple budget amendments and construction procurements — including library and health‑center CMAR notices, equipment lease payoff budgeting and funding for community events — and authorized emergency burn‑ban authority.
The Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners on March 17 voted to advance a cluster of budget amendments and construction procurements, moving a slate of projects toward contract and spending phases.
The board approved a balanced budget amendment to fund a multi‑year balloon payment tied to leases for 12 pieces of heavy equipment leased from Ring Power; finance staff said the first payment of $427,000 had been made and the amendment establishes the three‑year funding plan to pay off the leases so the county will ultimately own the machinery.
County finance staff also described and the board approved two separate budget amendments to bring previously held cash‑balance accounts into active budgets so projects may proceed. The items approved or advanced included notices of intent to award and authority to negotiate CMAR (construction manager at risk) contracts for the Chattahoochee Library and the Havana Health Center; a notice of intent for a CMAR for the Public Safety Complex; an RFP for construction of a Boys & Girls Club facility in Quincy; and approval of a task order to design sidewalks on Fairbanks Ferry Road.
The board approved a no‑cost change order for the South Adams Street sidewalk project and awarded a contract for ADA‑compliant bus shelters across county pickup sites. Commissioners also authorized a county match and application steps for several grants, and approved $1,500 in board support for the county’s Relay for Life team.
In procedural business the board adopted a procurement policy amendment to clarify administrative thresholds for signing contracts and issuing payments — language staff said was intended to reduce invoice payment delays — and authorized the chair and county administrator to issue seven‑day burn bans in emergencies, with mandatory board notification within 24 hours.
Votes were recorded in the meeting minutes as items were called (most major procurements and budget amendments passed by recorded 5–0 votes unless otherwise noted). The meeting also included a separate, 3–2 vote to terminate an agreement with the Gadsden County Senior Foundation after the board said the previously allocated $40,000 had been moved to Elder Affairs and the contract was therefore moot.
Next steps: county staff will move contracts into negotiation for the CMAR projects and post required procurement documentation. Several commissioners asked staff to include more detailed cost breakdowns and procurement memoranda in future packets so members and the public can review selection criteria before votes.
