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Knox County Board moves $1 million to cover courthouse plumbing emergency and approves immediate payments
Summary
The Knox County Board approved transferring $1 million from Public Safety to the General Fund to open a new Courthouse Plumbing Project account and authorized immediate payments for emergency plumbing-related invoices, including expedited air-quality testing and preliminary drawings.
The Knox County Board on April 29 approved a one-time transfer of $1 million from the Public Safety fund to the General Fund so funds would be available to open a dedicated Courthouse Plumbing Project account and address urgent invoices.
Vice-Chair Brian Friedrich told members the money must be moved before specific bills could be approved. "We moved one million dollars out of Public Safety to put in the General Fund to cover the upcoming bills," Friedrich said. Treasurer Robin Davis said she created a separate department line called "Plumbing Project Courthouse" to track the expenses more clearly.
The board then approved two immediate invoice payments tied to the courthouse problem: air-quality testing performed by a St. Louis firm that was brought in on short notice, and preliminary drawings by MSI. Board member Tracy Robertson questioned the markup that appeared on the testing bill and why MSI was charging a percentage; Friedrich said MSI subcontracted the testing and applied its contractual markup because it coordinated the work. Member Nache urged that future maintenance contracts be written to reduce surprise charges to taxpayers.
The motions to open the budget line item changes and to approve the emergency payments passed by roll call (motions recorded in board minutes). The board directed Treasurer Davis and staff to continue reviewing where remaining funds will come from as the year progresses.
