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Brown County commissioners approve GM Development to scope new prosecutor's office in 2-1 vote
Summary
After staff described two delivery approaches for a new Commonwealth prosecutor's office, the board voted to proceed with a scoping agreement with GM Development; commissioners asked staff and bond counsel to clarify timing and permissible uses of any savings before later contract stages.
Brown County commissioners voted to move forward with GM Development to perform a scoping agreement for a proposed new Commonwealth prosecutor's office, a decision the board approved on a 2-1 roll-call vote.
County project staff presented two delivery options: the traditional design-bid-build approach, where final costs are variable and the owner bears risk for change orders, and a developer-led build-operate-transfer model that offers a guaranteed maximum price and shifts many cost risks to the developer. The presentation described how an owner's technical representative and a scoping agreement would clarify schematics, cost estimates and any site constraints before a public hearing.
"With a guaranteed maximum price, the risk is on the developers," the staff presenter said, describing why the developer-led option can limit cost exposure for the county while requiring more upfront scoping paid by the proposer.
Commissioners said they supported continuing the scoping period but raised questions about bond timing, rules about how any post-bid savings could be used, and legal conditions that might affect the project. One commissioner requested that bond counsel and county attorneys verify any applicable deadlines or restrictions tied to existing bonds.
A motion to proceed with GM Development in the scoping period carried with Tim and Kevin voting yes and Ron voting no. The board instructed staff to obtain additional legal and bond counsel clarifications before approving later contract stages or spending decisions.
Next steps include executing the scoping agreement with the selected developer, receiving the developer's scoped estimate and schematics, and scheduling a public hearing once the scoping package is complete.
