Finance committee approves 5% change-order allowance for courthouse project, reducing initial request

The county administrator asked the committee to approve a 5% change-order allowance and a corresponding modification to the 2026 capital budget for the courthouse building-improvement project after noting the original bids included no contingency. The administrator said an earlier 10% request had been reduced to 5% in light of scrutiny and a desire to limit spending. "I reduced it by the $251," one legislator observed during the arithmetic review, and the administrator explained the smaller allowance would allow staff to approve limited in-field modifications without returning to the board for every small change.

Members questioned how a government bid passed without contingency and asked about the project’s current percent-spent; the administrator said the project is 13.9% spent of a $3,000,000 commitment. The committee approved the 5% allowance and the budget modification on a voice vote with no recorded nay votes.