Local Bids for Board of Commissioners

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Members of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners say that local companies will get top consideration when the board sits down to determine who will serve as general contractor for the new $28 million county justice center.

Right now, said Commissioner Trent North, the architects behind the project are in the process of completing pre-construction efforts on the building, determining what work will need to be done and in what order. After that’s decided and a recommendation is made to the board as a whole, it will then be up to the board to determine what contractor is scheduled to perform what part of the construction process.

While of course the varying rates that building contractors charge for the work they perform will play a large part in the board’s decision, it’s not the only thing that the board will take into account, North said. If the pricing among the various contractors is similar, he said, the board should give the work to local companies, ensuring that the money that is spent by the Carroll County government remains in the county.

“It is my preference that a local contractor builds our courthouse. That’s just my preference. Even if the economy wasn’t the way it was, I’d still think that,” North said. “As long as it is fiscally feasible and the experience is there, we should always try to keep the work at home.”

Commissioner Kevin Jackson agreed, saying that the board has in the past elected to contract with local companies even though it might cost a little more in the end.

“If we have the opportunity to turn some work locally, we’re inclined to do that unless they’re not competitive,” Jackson said. “In the past, we’ve done it even though sometimes it may be just a little more expensive. We do it because any time we can help Carroll Countians, that’s what we need to do. That’s what we were elected to do.”

Commissioner Vicki Anderson said that it only makes sense to help local companies when the option presents itself.

“You always like to give business to people in the county. I think if things work out right, that’s the preferable thing to do, and I think we’ve been consistent in that in the past,” Anderson said. “You like doing business with people you see every day.”