Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 14, 2024 – An appropriation ordinance to allocate over $144,000 from county funds toward a new emergency generator for the Craighead County Road Department Shop will go before Quorum Court at its next meeting.
The Finance Committee met after Tuesday’s Quorum Court meeting to discuss the generator ordinance, which will amend the 2024 Annual Operating Budget to add a new fund titled Fund 2996. Quorum Court was rescheduled from its usual time of Monday at 5:30 p.m. in observance of Veterans Day.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management allocated state grant funds totaling $106,743 for the county to purchase a 100-kilowatt, diesel-powered generator. The county will contribute $37,712.68 from the County Road Fund. All of this will go into Fund 2996.
Seventy-five percent of the money will come from the Fiscal Year 2025 State Hazard Mitigation grant program. Craighead County will match 25% of that amount. If passed, the county can either pay the full amount, totaling $144,446.68, upfront or in monthly installments. The state will reimburse the county the grant total of $106,743.
The generator, a Kohler 100RE0ZJF, will be used as a backup power source for the Craighead County Road Department Shop in the event of emergencies resulting in regional power outages.
“Basically, it will run the entire shop. Welders, cranes, the whole thing, anything that they need to keep the equipment maintained,” said Craighead County Judge Marvin Day.
The price not only includes the generator, but also includes cost of labor, a concrete pad for the machine, any necessary electrical parts, labor startup and cleanup, and all taxes, insurance and warranty on equipment.
The $144,446.68 is a turnkey price, meaning it includes both direct and indirect costs as one lump sum. The project must be completed within an 80-day time frame if it passes.
The county advertised that they were accepting bids for the project in the Jonesboro Sun in mid-September. Bidding concluded Oct. 2.
The county awarded the bid to Powerhouse Electric Inc. of Forrest City, on Oct. 7. It bid the lowest price, $144,446.68.
Two other contractors, Jonesboro-based Bailey Contractors and Little Rock-based D & H United, also made bids. Bailey Contractors bid $153,086 and D & H United bid $148,505.73.
After the ordinance was presented, District 6 Justice of the Peace Darrel Cook questioned the costs of the project, wondering if the county could secure a generator for less money.
“Just based on my experience with generators, it seems about $40,000 high. As a turnkey, we don’t actually know what the generator costs,” Cook said. “If we can save $40,000 by running the necessities, which can be done.”
Day responded that the Powerhouse Electric Inc. bid was the cheapest.
The Finance Committee is chaired by District 9 Justice of the Peace Josh Longmire and consists of District 5 Justice of the Peace Barbara Weinstock, District 11 Justice of the Peace Dan Pasmore, District 3 Justice of the Peace Barry Forrest, and Cook as members.
The committee approved the ordinance by a vote of 4-1. Cook voted against it, while Longmire, Weinstock, Pasmore and Forrest voted for it. The ordinance now goes before the full Quorum Court at its next meeting Nov. 25.