MINUTES OF THE JOINT INFORMAL MEETING OF JOHNSON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND JUSTICE CENTER COORDINATING COMMITTEE:
JULY 1, 2009
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Report from Facilities Sub-Committee
Chairperson Neuzil called the Johnson County Board of Supervisors to order in the Johnson County Administration Building at 3:02 p.m. Members present were: Pat Harney, Larry Meyers, Terrence Neuzil, Sally Stutsman, and Rod Sullivan.
Justice Center Coordinating Committee members present were: Justice Center Coordinating Committee Coordinator Bob Elliott, Harney, County Attorney Janet Lyness, Johnson County Bar Association Representative Jim McCarragher, and County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek.
Justice Center Coordinating Committee Coordinator Bob Elliott said the Board asked the Justice Center Coordinating Committee for a recommendation. He said the major question is whether the Committee should consider the newly available Press-Citizen property in the planning process for a justice center. The Justice Center initially was to be a one entity situation adjacent or adjoined to the Courthouse. He said the JCCC recommended looking for sufficient savings to continue considering the Press-Citizen property as part of the planning process. Therefore, perhaps a Jail, Sheriff’s Office, and some preliminary hearing rooms could be at the Press-Citizen property. Then have the Courthouse-related offices, facilities, storage areas, and courtrooms at the downtown location. Elliott said the JCCC has been under the impression that there is a strong consensus that courthouse-related functions need to stay in the downtown area. The Committee would like to know if there would be sufficient savings to consider use of the Press-Citizen property. If there are savings, the Committee would like to proceed with the idea of two facilities, if there is not savings the Committee recommended continuing with the original plan of building the Justice Center around the downtown Courthouse location.
Elliott said he hopes that whatever the Board decides, they would support the Committee’s recommendations. In the best of times, this would be a difficult process, but it is probably the worst of times financially and politically. He said in the planning process the considered cost of the project was between $60 and $70 million, but that does not appear to be viable. He said they need to consider an option that costs between $30 and $40 million.
Stutsman asked for clarification on the $30 to $40 million. Elliott said when the initial facilities assessment and drawing for the justice center were completed; some people thought the intent was to ask the firm what could be done for $30 to $40 million with the end product costing $60 to $70 million. The consensus was that $60 million is not politically or financially viable. Neuzil asked if the Justice Center Coordinating Committee made this recommendation or the Facilities Sub-committee. Elliott said it was the Facilities Sub-committee, it has not gone to the full JCCC.
Johnson County Facilities Manager David Kempf said the County is at a turning point, with fundamental decisions that have to be made. The County needs to determine what is financially viable. The general consensus is that a $60 to $70 million facility will not happen. He asked what the County’s realistic price point could be. He believes the $30 to $40 has a reasonable possibility of passing in a referendum in the near future. He clarified near future as in two and a half years. He asked if the County should utilize the survey option offered to determine the public’s opinion on how much they would be willing to spend. Kempf said when the Durant study was done, the Press-Citizen Property was not included, because it was not available at that time. He said the Committee has a rough cost of what it would cost to build at the Press-Citizen building. He said until the Board commits to spending the money to answer the questions, the estimates are a calculated guess.
Kempf said now is the time to start considering whether the County wants to enter into a partnership with an architecture and engineering firm to design a facility, but first complete a needs assessment study. He said the facility should be designed to meet the needs of the County for the next 20 to 25 years. He said they can position themselves for future growth after that point. He asked if the Board is prepared to move forward with this plan, if not should the JCCC recess for a year and reconsider the issue later. Novak Design Group has done a quick assessment on the Press-Citizen property and they recommended that the programming component needs to be done next to determine exactly what is needed. He said the programming assessment will be done by whoever the County hires to do the facility. He said it does not make sense to hire a firm to do a study now unless it is done by the architectural firm that is going to handle the project, otherwise the County will pay for another assessment once a firm is hired.
Harney said he is uncomfortable waiting four years for a referendum, because there is a need now due to safety issues, transportation issues and associated expenses. One of the real factors for the Board is difficult economic times. The Conservation Bond issue passed and Conservation is asking for $1 million this year, which won’t increase the overall tax by a large amount. He said Conservation has 20 years to spend $20 million. Conservation could propose $4 or $5 million at the same time the Board moves forward with the justice center and the Board is required to provide that money. Legally the Board must wait for a request, so they cannot set aside $1 million as year as they thought they might be able to.
Neuzil asked when the Sub-committee decided to go from a justice center to a jail and courthouse issue again. Kempf said he is not sure. Neuzil said it took six year to get to a justice center, so he wanted to know what happened in the last month to change that. Kempf said the Press-Citizen property became available for sale. Trying to be a good steward of County money, the Sub-committee felt it was something they had to look at. In looking at one large complex, the fundamental assumption was that the court services component needs to stay downtown with the existing Courthouse. Kempf said that if the Sub-committee assumes the Courthouse will stay at the current location, then the question is whether the Press-Citizen property should be considered for a jail site. Even if the buildings are split, it is important to talk about this as one project. He cannot support not adding a jail and courthouse at the same time regardless of the number of buildings. He said it has to be put to the public as one project because the County needs Courthouse improvements and security issues taken care of as much as it needs a new jail.
County Attorney Janet Lyness said she doesn’t believe there is a recommendation from the Facilities Sub-committee for two projects. There is no agreement on the Facilities Sub-committee, other than to get more information. They didn’t think the Durant Study provided a number of what it would cost to use the current Courthouse, because the study did not look at using the current Courthouse. She said the Sub-Committee is asking the Board for funds to get a clear idea of the costs to renovate and build around the Courthouse. She said there is no agreement within the Facilities Sub-committee that the GSA is not going to continue to be considered. Harney said the Durant report did consider using the old Courthouse. Lyness said the study did not include it in the costs. She said the study put everything in a new facility and did not include anything about how the current Courthouse would be used. Kempf added that the Study assumed the Courthouse would be used for another purpose. Lyness said the report’s total cost ignored the Courthouse space that could be used.
Neuzil said it has taken six years to come to a consensus on building a justice center. He said he is curious how the decision to go against that consensus and look at two separate locations was achieved. When the space needs assessment done by Durant was for a justice center rather than two different projects. Neuzil asked if anyone has looked at any other available properties for just a jail. He said even if it was done at the same time, it would be two separate projects. Kempf said the question becomes whether the County can afford to build the justice center. The efficiencies and programming were possible, but it came with a price tag most people thought was unrealistic. Neuzil agreed, adding they considered how much it cost if they got everything they wanted. Kempf said the consensus from Facilities is they need more information and he asked how they can get that information. He said Novak, out of convenience, because they were working on the Health and Human Services Building, gave the County quick information. The County doesn’t want to duplicate services it is going to pay for later, so they should figure out what firm they want to work with on this project and have the firm answer those questions. He said the firm would do a better job in the design phase, if they’re part of the decision-making process. Kempf said the firm will also need to know what price point the County is working towards. He doesn’t know if $30 to $40 million would be too much or too little. He asked if it is time to do a public opinion survey. From a facilities standpoint, if the bond referendum will be in November of 2012, the County needs to hire an architect now to meet that timeframe. There will be a minimum design and programming time of 12 to 18 months and then the County will need to share with the public what they are doing. Kempf said the Board needs to decide how to best answer the remaining questions.
Neuzil said he thought the County had already answered the questions. Up to a month and a half ago everyone had agreed to one justice center. Kempf said if the Board wants to move forward with that option, they need to communicate it to Sub-committee and they’ll walk away from the Press-Citizen option. Harney said the programming was still part of the proposed jail at the Press-Citizen property. He said Novak said the County could build the jail, the Sheriff’s Office, do the programming, and have an appearance courtroom for telephonic appearances with an estimated price of $19 million. If the justice center is estimated at $70 million, the $50 million will make an awfully nice Courthouse. He said if the numbers are correct it would be advantageous to look at the Press-Citizen option. He said some of the things they would lose would be the ease of taking prisoners to the courtroom rather than transporting them. Harney said the County needs to consider something the public will support and agree to and there are other options available.
University of Iowa Facilities Representative Larry Wilson said he believes there are three options: 1) build all at the Press-Citizen, 2) build all downtown or 3) split the proposed justice center. He is hearing that most people want the entire facility to be downtown unless there is an economic reason against it. When the Sub-committee asks which is the best economic option, they cannot answer it, because the information is not aligned in a way they can understand it. The previous cost estimates did not outline the costs for each option, including renovation of the Courthouse. He said the Sub-committee could not compare the costs without having the information of what it would cost for each project. He said the Facilities Sub-committee suggested getting information on what it would cost to do each project to see if there is an economic reason to choose the Press-Citizen option. He said the consensus is if there is not an economic benefit, people prefer downtown.
Wilson said the Sub-committee also needs someone to cut out items included in the costs that do not make sense, so they have a basic program for the full facility to compare. If the County gets a comparison cost, they can see which option they can afford. He said if the County can only bond for $30 million then the question is what program can they get that can be added to later. An information consultant could make a decision on which option would be best and then a design consultant could be hired to test quick ideas, before the County makes a decision. Then the County would move into a detailed program assessment. He said the problem is the County will have to pay to obtain that kind of information. The Facilities Sub-committee would like to see how much it will cost to obtain that information to assist in making a decision.
Wilson said the Sub-committee also needs to focus on the GSA property to find other solutions available like closing off the street south of the Post Office for parking. Harney said if the County gets the GSA lot, it would require building a ramp to house the 200 cars currently parking there, which would be a $3 million facility. Wilson said since the County is considering closing Harrison Street by the Courthouse, they could also consider closing another block east for parking. Harney said the Post Office’s loading dock is reached by Harrison Street. Neuzil said last month, it was determined the County no longer required the GSA property. Wilson said a $30 to $40 million property may not require the GSA property, but he thinks in the long-term it would be necessary. Meyers said if the County chooses two separate properties, a parking facility may not be necessary.
Stutsman said it is irrelevant how the Sub-committee came to the decision to look at two locations, because the Board owes it to the community to explore the options and get as much information possible. She said if the Board doesn’t consider it; the public’s first question will be: why wasn’t the Press-Citizen property considered. The community’s first priority is generally not what is convenient, but what the project costs and the Board needs to answer that question.
Neuzil reiterated it has been six years talking about a justice center and over the last two months they have gone to talking about the possibility of a separate jail and courthouse. Over the last six years, everyone agreed to having a justice center and the community has backed the County in the idea of a justice center. In the last month and a half there has been a push again to two separate facilities. He said during the Durant process, it would have been nice to have the option of two facilities. He said looking at two separate locations not only implies looking at the Press-Citizen property, but at many options. He said if the County chooses two facilities, then it would have to investigate other locations. He doesn’t believe that’s necessary, however, because everyone has agreed it should be downtown.
Harney said he disagrees. The County looked at the Menards building. Neuzil said they considered it for a justice center. Harney said they also looked at the Press-Citizen for a justice center. He said he is not advocating one option or the other, but they need to look at it to know what the costs are. The Press-Citizen building wasn’t available in the past. Now it is and the retrofit is easy according to Novak. Harney said he agrees with Wilson about spending some money to have an honest look at the costs, and then make a decision and move forward. Wilson said he is concerned with the project becoming circular if the Board says the Sub-committee must consider other sites if it considers the Press-Citizen. Neuzil said that is why the County is to this point. He restated his point is the County has done that investigation. Wilson and Kempf both said it is the Board’s decision whether they want to consider it. Kempf said the Sub-committee is seeking direction from the Board.
Wilson said the Press-Citizen site represents the best alternative the County could find that is not downtown, because the building is a unique fit, it is available, and it is less expensive than other properties may be. He said the Press-Citizen building represents all of the other possibilities, because others most likely will not be as good. He said it is up to the Board whether they want to investigate that site or not. He said he is not convinced that a ramp is needed in order to build downtown. The City of Iowa City is building a new ramp a couple of blocks away from the Courthouse and possibly the County could request to shift the location or request to share or rent it for use. He said there are ways to work around it. He said no matter what decision is made the County needs to fund the plan rather than plan the funding.
Lyness said she was not sure when it was decided to have a justice center, but agreed that has been the decision. She doesn’t believe money is the bottom line; the County has to look at location, too. The County could probably build it cheaper down by Lone Tree as well. She said when Novak looked at the Durant Study, the Sub-committee did not believe the numbers were accurate or providing a clear picture as to how much the justice center would cost. She said they need a better idea of the cost because the $60 to $70 million estimate can not be trusted. Even if the Board only considers the downtown location, the Facilities Sub-committee wants to spend some money to get a realistic picture of the cost. She also believes Facilities needs to obtain more information on the GSA lot and see if the County can purchase that lot. She said if the lot cannot be purchased they need to know if they can continue to use the property already owned around the Courthouse to stay at that location. Neuzil wished today’s meeting was about being ready to obtain that information. He believes this is a re-education process to take this from a justice center to the concept of two separate facilities. Kempf said if the Board tells the Sub-committee they want one facility, they will be able to move forward.
County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek said the County did not get public input on a U shaped structure around the historic Courthouse, which he viewed as a minor problem. He said all he is asking for is a fair comparison. The Durant Study laid out a 250 bed facility, but Novak planned a 350 bed facility at the Press-Citizen building. He said the difference in cost for 100 additional beds at the Courthouse is $10 million dollars. He said if an addition was built on the back of the Courthouse to accommodate the extra 100 beds there is a potential $10 million savings. He said if the facilities are split, a ramp wouldn’t be necessary, which would save $3 million. He said that is a potential $13 million savings by splitting up the locations. Pulkrabek said he had spoken out against Menards because of the distance and the efficiencies. As to efficiency, if the Sheriff’s Office has to hire three full-time deputies to shuffle to the Courthouse, at a cost of $240,000 it would still take quite a while to recoup the $13 million in savings. That is why he has to insist, as a taxpayer and a tax steward, that the County look at the Press-Citizen. He said he is not advocating for the Press-Citizen property, because in a perfect world, the facility should be downtown in one building, but the problem is that facility is estimated at $60 to $80 million. As they try to pare down the cost to $30 to $40 million, which may or may not pass, the Press-Citizen is a viable option to cut costs. All he wants is a comparison, so as elected officials they can communicate their decision to the public. Pulkrabek said he knows some of this ground has been covered before, but Facilities needs help with the programming to look at this option to get a comparison. The Durant Group did a good job on programming, design, and considering the operational expense of a potential jail. He said Durant did not do as good a job on the Courthouse, which Lyness, and some of the Supervisors were frustrated with. As the County moves forward, they need additional information to ensure they have everything in order. Pulkrabek said he disagrees with Neuzil because the Press-Citizen is a unique situation. He does not think they need to investigate any other properties.
Neuzil said he wished Pulkrabek would have told the Board two years ago that splitting the facility would be a good option. All he heard was that it was not, because it is a justice center. Now all of a sudden the Sub-committee wants to open up the process. Pulkrabek said he did not have a crystal ball saying the Press-Citizen would become available nor any idea how the building was laid out. Stutsman said sometimes the Board is called upon to look outside the box and all this discussion is evolution. It is imperative for the Board to recognize that. Pulkrabek said the County needs to be a little flexible, because as time goes by they need to evolve with things that come up. He said without knowing the answer to those questions, he cannot support a project. Pulkrabek said he needs to be comfortable saying the County did the bare minimum to look forward for a facility that can serve the County for 20 to 25 years and can continue serving them with other options later. He asked the Board to give it a chance.
Stutsman said part of the reason the original bond issue did not pass was because the community did not feel the County looked at all the options and alternatives. The County then formed a sub-committee to look at the alternatives and have done a good job of that. She said if the County cannot give the message to the community that they have very thoroughly looked at the different options, they will waste their time seeking another bond issue. Pulkrabek said Sullivan still has in his possession about 12 different reasons people voted no and that was definitely one of them.
Johnson County Bar Association Representative Jim McCarragher said he could go through all the different reasons why he and many other people presented that a joint facility is better. He said the County went through the process for six years, deciding on a justice center downtown, after discussing the importance and researching many different locations. Now because of one building, six years of planning goes out the window. He asked if the County refocuses and revisits all the reasons why people are for and against each option. If the Board decides not to go forward with the justice center plan created over the past six years and pushes it another two years, what happens when a new site becomes available and the Board is concerned whether they’ve covered all the bases. He asked if the Board will then throw away eight years of planning. At some point a decision has to be made upon what has been investigated for six years. If the County is always worried about the next project or the next thing that has to be investigated because the public may ask about it, then the County will never end the process. He said yes, things will become available and there will be things the public will ask if the County has considered. At some point the County will have to say they have looked and now has to move forward or it will never end.
Harney said he understood McCarragher’s point, but the Press-Citizen option does away with negotiating for the GSA lot, because the resulting facility can be built on existing land. It’s the cost at the end that needs to be investigated. McCarragher said he is hearing pulling it apart, moving it to a different location. Harney said there are two options, to include the Press-Citizen or concentrate downtown. McCarragher said tomorrow, if another building becomes available, does the County look at that as well. Harney said they have covered that. McCarragher said at some point they have to move forward. He has made presentations to the League of Women Voters and the County has done surveys defining a justice center as a facility that includes the services of the Jail, the Sheriff’s Office and the Courthouse. If the County keeps telling the community they need a justice center with the reasons why, considering two facilities will send confusing message.
McCarragher said paying a person that is not going to be the eventual designer of the building to answer questions and then to hire someone else to design it will duplicate costs. If the County is looking at cost comparisons, then they need to make a decision as to who will design the building and then have those comparisons done. Harney said he agrees with that, but a location is needed. McCarragher said a designer doesn’t care about location. Neuzil said the County had a location and spent $60,000 to determine it. Pulkrabek said he is not hearing that anyone wants to throw the downtown location out yet, but the Sub-committee needs help paring down the Courthouse and deciding on the programming. If the County is going to hire someone to give those details, the Sub-committee would like someone to look at the cost of the Press-Citizen. He does not believe they are throwing away the last six years. He said there is an opportunity and $13 million is a significant amount and he does not feel it should be ignored; however, it is up to the Board to decide.
Stutsman said the group is just going to get into arguments between the people who want it downtown and the people willing to consider other options. She said it would be responsible to look at all the options currently available. She said she is supportive of hiring someone to get the information so the Board can make an informed decision to share with the taxpayers. Neuzil clarified Stutsman the information will only be looked at for the Press-Citizen, not any available property. Pulkrabek said the three options Wilson laid out and Stutsman agreed.
Elliot said it can be pared down to two questions, what does the Board say to the public when they ask: why the County wasted six years of planning and decided maybe to do something else; and why the Sheriff, who knows about the operations and the cost, indicated the County could save $13 million and the Board decided not to pursue it. That would be a difficult question to answer. The County may find there is nothing to the $13 million, but it is a question that will be asked.
Sullivan asked how much the County spent on the Durant Study. Pulkrabek said it was $71,000 or $72,000. Sullivan asked if the County should sue them, because they did not get their money’s worth and the public should not have to pay for it. He said he does not know if the County has any legal standing, but he would not mind trying. Secondly, the hiring of a firm would make sense, because he believes they need further information. He said he is not convinced the savings are there, because everything he has heard can be pared down at the downtown location can be pared down somewhere else. He agreed it is currently a situation that needs to be compared, but he wants to be careful because one contingency is saying they have a cheaper option, which may not be true. If the County separates the justice center, then why wouldn’t the Board consider the County Farm as opposed to the Press-Citizen. The County already owns the land and has good access for SEATS, Ambulance and the Joint Emergency Communication Center. If the justice center could be separate, then they need to consider that site. He said he was told the JCCC did not want to separate the facility. Sullivan said he has been a skeptic all along and it has taken him a long time, but he has been convinced by people that he trusts that this has to be one facility and now he is being told it doesn’t. Sullivan asked now, should he question everything else like the size, scope, cost, and need for the facility. He said if he is having a crisis of confidence, the public must be as well. He asked how he and the public can know that anything they’ve been told is correct. He said he has been relying on heartfelt recommendations from people who have worked hard to determine what was needed. Now people are saying something else and he has to consider his trust and he feels other members of the public would feel the same way. Sullivan said he is very discouraged.
Harney said with the Press-Citizen building, the County would not only be getting the ground but a building that can be retrofitted. He said they wouldn’t get that at the County Farm. Sullivan said the County would not have to buy land at the County Farm,. Harney said they would have to build a building, so it is an offsetting cost. Sullivan asked how he knows it will offset. Stutsman said they do not know it is offsetting. Harney said that is why the Sub-committee is asking to complete the study. Sullivan said the Sub-committee is only asking to consider one place, so why not the County Farm. Neuzil added, or a warehouse in one of the industrial parks or whatever else is available His frustration is the County had reached a point, up to two months ago, where they were ready to move forward to identify a space analysis to determine how to fit it downtown and what size facility would be possible. If the County is going to explore different options, then they need to do it fully, rather than just with one location. Harney said the County has already considered other locations. Sullivan and Neuzil said they considered them as a justice center. Sullivan said just a jail has not been considered at the County Farm. Harney said Neuzil and Sullivan will never be convinced.
Meyers said he sees good arguments for a single unit on the Courthouse block and for considering the Press-Citizen building. He can see getting on board with either option, but the problem is the lack of adequate information. He agrees someone should look into the costs and if it is a significant savings, then the Board needs to consider it. If it is a minimal difference, there is not much point. He likes the idea Novak presented with everything contained on property other than the GSA lot, because the GSA lot continuously complicates the issue. He said in exchange for using the GSA lot they have to build a 200 car parking ramp for the GSA’s exclusive use on their property. He said that is not beneficial for the County.
Sullivan said it comes back to trust. The Board has talked about how important it is to have all five Supervisors, the County Attorney and County Sheriff agreeing or it will be difficult to sell it to the public. He said he is getting to the point where he needs to be resold on everything. Kempf asked if now is the time to decide who it they trust and who they can partner with to take them through the design and development phase of the project.
Attorney John Robertson said he believes the conversation is off track. He thinks they could back up to where people agree, which is hiring someone to get the project moving towards a justice center downtown. He said he suspects the Press-Citizen building would be easy to evaluate and determine where it can be retrofitted. He said the County should hire a firm to start moving them forward and ask them to look at the Press-Citizen building or any other available building as well. He does not believe it would be more expensive to have a look into it, then it would be to just a hire a firm. He said the JCCC needs to maintain their general consensus that the ideal solution would be a downtown justice center. He said he doesn’t care for a jail location at some distance, but it makes sense to look and see if there is significant savings. He said they can find the answer to that question without getting too far into revisiting larger issues.
Robertson said the intangible costs associated with looking at the Press Citizen building on North Dodge Street horrify him. He does not believe many people living in that neighborhood would be agreeable to having a 350 bed jail built in the middle of their $350,000 to $500,000 homes. The legal community will not be very supportive, because the legal community is based downtown. He also believes there will a large logistical nightmare moving prisoners back and forth on a daily basis, which would impact due process rights, as it would reduce access to the courts. All that together, the intangibles have real value. That is not to say that if the County could build a jail that would meet the needs of the Sheriff’s Office and the community and saves taxpayers millions of dollars, it should be considered. He reiterated there are lots of costs and issues involved in it. He said a homeless shelter could not be built over by the Mid-Eastern Council on Chemical Abuse building, so he shudders to think of the cost and hassle of building a jail on the north side of Iowa City. He does not believe there is anything controversial about moving forward with looking at a way to save people money.
County Auditor Tom Slockett said he believes the low costs that have recently come to light were unexpected, such as the County’s ability to house prisoners at less than $45 per day. As the County is gathering information and doing studies, he said they need to consider the reality of today’s costs and the future concepts of scalability. Slockett said there is a proud heritage of over 100 years at the Courthouse. The usability of that Courthouse building is something the County would do well to try to advance. Part of the new complex is going to be a jail. He asked what will be the jail costs going to be into the future, depending on where it is built. What is the scalability, medical costs, and food costs? He said he believes the public wants to know what the total costs for a new facility will be versus the current total costs using the resources available. One of the reasons the County has low costs is other communities miscalculated and overbuilt jail space. All of that information will be important to the community in deciding how they want to proceed. He said he knows that information is important to the Board as well, but he wanted to add a few more concepts for the Board’s consideration.
Pulkrabek said the County is currently restricting prisoner’s access to lawyers by housing them in Marshalltown. He said that factor does not really resonate with the public. Harney said he does not want people to think he is supporting the Press-Citizen property, because the best efficiency would be a combined facility, but the County has to look at the overall cost.
Kempf asked where the Board is. Stutsman said it sounds like there are three Board members willing to start working with a Request For Proposals. Harney asked if the Board has to authorize that in a formal meeting. Neuzil said he thinks the process would normally be that the Sub-committee would make a recommendation to the JCCC and the JCCC would then make a recommendation to the Board. Harney said that process would push the decision out another month. Neuzil said that is the normal. Otherwise he would like to know what he is voting against. He said he does not believe the Sub-committee knows exactly what they are proposing. Kempf asked if the Board is ready to proceed with a Request for Quote to find someone to help move them through the process. Sullivan said there is the question of if they are hiring someone for just architecture or construction management. Kempf said he believes the County is just looking for architecture and engineering services. Sullivan said then the question is why just that. He would like more information. Kempf said he is envisioning a similar process to that used in the Health and Human Services Building. He asked if the County is to the point where they want that process. Neuzil said the Facilities Sub-committee and the JCCC could make a proposal to the Board. Kempf said the Committee will meet as soon as they can to clear up the matter. Neuzil said that would be helpful. Kempf said he has what he needed to know then. The Board agreed.
Adjourned at 4:12 p.m.
______________________________________________________________________
Attest: Tom Slockett, Auditor
By:
On the _______ day of _____________________, 2009
By Nancy Tomkovicz, Recording Secretary
Sent to the Board of Supervisors on July 10, 2009 at 3:30 p.m.