Commissioners — without Precinct 1 Commissioner Emma Brown, who was unable to attend the meeting — voted unanimously to adopt the statement of expenditures that will help County Auditor Jackie Olson track the fiscal side of the taxpayer-funded project.

“It’s simply a break down by line item,” Olson told the court. “Jeff (Heffelfinger, project architect) prepared it, so questions regarding individual line items should be directed to him.”

Heffelfinger was not present for the meeting.

The line items contained in the construction fund include $754,500 for architectural and engineering services; $25,000 for survey staking and plating; $150,000 for bond underwriting and attorney fees; $75,000 for land purchases; $9 million for general construction; $142,000 for furniture, fixtures and equipment; $35,000 for independent testing; $675,000 for the construction manager’s fee; $280,000 for reimbursable items; $150,000 for payment and performance bonds; and $180,000 for jail consultant services.

Of the $754,500 set aside for architectural and engineering services, the county has paid $606,630 so far this year, according to the expenditure statement, leaving a balance of $147,870. Altogether, the county has spent $674,974 on the multi-million dollar project since voters approved the issuance of general obligation bonds in November 2007.

“Can funds be moved around in this budget?” Commissioner Jerry Kilgore asked Olson during the meeting.

“Yes, Jerry, they can be shifted from one line item to another,” Olson answered. “This budget just gives us something to apply the expenditures to, basically a blue print to work from.”

Also Monday, commissioners discussed whether to renew a mechanical maintenance agreement with Anthony Mechanical, a contract that is costing the county approximately $49,392 a year.

County Judge Mark Barr said members of the county’s maintenance team had expressed their willingness to fill the void if the contract was abandoned, but commissioner Jerry Kilgore said the contract was worth far more than $49,000 because of its capacity to act as an insurance policy.

“When we first signed a mechanical contract, major work had to be done to the chiller on the roof,” said Kilgore. “It would have cost us a lot more than just the contract if we hadn’t had it. Heaven forbid we drop this contract then everything breaks down.”

Commissioners spoke with Bill Hale, a representative of Anthony Mechanical, in a conference call during the meeting, with Hale explaining the coverage the contract provides for not only the county courthouse, but also for the county library and annex building across the street from the courthouse.

After speaking with Hale, the commissioners — with the exception of Barr — seemed satisfied with the contract, which places financial liability for almost all mechanical systems on Anthony Mechanical, with the exception of refrigerant leaks.

“I suppose I’m pretty well outvoted anyway,” said Barr with a laugh. “We’ll let the contract go ahead and renew.”

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it