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Benton County waives bids, approves emergency repair of damaged jail sprinkler
Summary
The Benton County Board of Commissioners on May 5 approved a declaration of emergency to waive competitive bidding and authorize repair of a damaged fire sprinkler head at the county jail; the county staff reported the deputy county administrator already executed a contract under RCW authorities and commissioners voted to approve the emergency declaration.
Benton County commissioners voted May 5 to approve a declaration of emergency allowing the county to waive competitive bidding and proceed with repair of a damaged fire sprinkler head at the Benton County Jail.
Blaine, a county staff member who presented the item, told the board that a sprinkler head was damaged on April 19 and that the deputy county administrator had declared an emergency and executed a contract for repairs "as per the RCW". Blaine summarized the timeline and the staff rationale for setting aside the competitive-bid process and moving quickly to repair the system.
Commissioner (speaker 2) moved to approve the declaration of emergency and the board seconded the motion; the board voiced approval and the motion passed. The transcript records "aye" responses from the chair and at least one commissioner; the record does not list full member names with each vote.
During brief discussion, a commissioner asked whether the damage was linked to a recent in-custody suicide; the commissioner said he had spoken to the chief and described an inmate tying his shirt to a sprinkler head. The transcript does not contain a separate staff confirmation of that cause on the public record.
The board then entered an executive session for potential litigation at 9:18 a.m. and returned at 9:38 a.m.; the public record states no decisions were made in the executive session. The meeting adjourned following that session.
Why it matters: Waiving competitive bidding is an exception to normal procurement rules meant for emergencies; the board’s action allowed the county to move quickly to restore a fire-suppression component in the jail. The transcript refers to "RCW" but does not specify the particular statute number in the public record.
What’s next: The transcript does not record further public details about the contract (contractor name in the presentation was identified verbally as "Cascade Fire" during discussion) such as contract amount or effective dates; those details were not specified in the record and would be available from county procurement or the clerk’s office.
