County Attorney Glynn Rollins told the board at its meeting today that while Heaton Construction was the low bid at $11.6 million, all bids exceeded the county's budget for the project.

“There are a number of options you can take,” Rollins said.

He said the county may expand the budget; negotiate with the low bidder; rescale the project; bid using the construction manager at risk concept or decide to do the project from a monetary standpoint and contract with other counties to house their inmates.

The construction manager at risk concept is one in which the contractor brings the bidding in at a set price, Rollins explained. “Don't assume you're going to get the best price, it tends to be more expensive.”

The project originally started at $6 million, board Chair James Pierce said. “Here we are almost doubling that.”

Commissioner Vernon Bryant suggested looking at the moneymaking option by housing other jurisdiction's inmates while Pierce said there was always the option of negotiating with localities to house Halifax inmates.

“Any way we go I don't want to see us come in with a lot of change orders,” Commissioner Rives Manning said.

Commissioner Carolyn Johnson suggested scaling back the project. “That (money) was going to cover a wish list and we could scale back. The other is negotiating with the low bidder.”

Responded Rollins: “Negotiating with Heaton is an option so long as we don't have to rebid.”

Johnson wanted to know the urgency behind the project.

Pierce answered, saying, “Being over our capacity we have to do something.”

Added Rollins: “The state could come in and say send our inmates to surrounding counties.”

Pierce said the county added additional costs itself and Johnson wanted to know whether scaling back was an option.

“I don't know we can do that,” he said.

“We can go back to a simple expansion,” Bryant said.

Commissioner Marcelle Smith said, “The longer it takes to make a decision, the more it will cost.”

“We've got a lot of capital needs in the county,” Pierce said. “I'd rather be building a new school than a jail. We've got to do something.”

Pierce wants to see how much it would cost to house inmates outside the county and how much the county could make housing inmates. “We need to investigate all our options.”

“There's going to be risks,” Rollins said, “but we will look at all the options. We may have to have a discussion with the lowest bidder and see how long he can tread water.”

The bids are good for 90 days, County Manager Tony Brown said.

Building now, Pierce said, equates to a 3-cent tax rate. “That's tough duty for me.”

Sheriff Wes Tripp said this afternoon he was willing to discuss the matter with the board.