Wright

The Angelina County Commissioners’ Court announced good news for the county during its meeting Thursday morning.

The bids received for the addition to the Angelina County Jail were “well below the estimates,” County Judge Keith Wright said.

“So it’s going to change how we approach awarding the jail (contract),” he said.

According to Wright, the county initially estimated the cost for the addition to be approximately $19 million. Three bids were received ranging from almost $13 million to $11 million. Since the lowest bid proposes a longer timeframe to complete the addition, Wright said the best bid will likely be the one for $11,845,000.

Wright said he believed the higher estimate was due to fear of economic issues. Officials plan to make a selection for the contract prior to the next commissioners’ meeting. They are also deciding whether or not to include the cost of replacing the jail’s roof and if the county should use cash to pay for the final jail contract or finance it.

“I would prefer the county keep the cash in the bank and go ahead with the note,” Wright said.

Either way, he added that the improvements and additions to the county jail “says to the community and the county that we’re going to support the law in our county.”

In other business, the county approved a change to the methods by which county officials receive electronic public information requests.

Each department will set up one primary email for requests to be sent in order to better keep track of them, according to County Attorney Cary Kirby.

He added that some limitations on the size of attachments will also be put into place. Requests will also continue to be accepted through the county’s website portal.

Angelina County Treasurer Jill Brewer presented the financial report for November. Total investments for the month were $5.4 million with $1.6 million collected by the tax office. Sales taxes included $854,000, she said. The report was approved unanimously.

A mileage reimbursement for county employees will increase from .655 to .67 cents per mile, and a better rate for the electrical poles at the Angelina County Chamber of Commerce and George H. Henderson Jr. Exposition Center was approved for 4.675 cents per kilowatt hour with Engle Resources LLC.

A consent agenda (Items 5-17) was approved, as well as:

■ Amending agreements with ELAP services and Imagine360 regarding the county’s employee benefit plan.

■ Payment of bills submitted by the county auditor.

■ Departmental reports, routine items and a number of budget transfers for various county offices, departments and facilities.

No motion to approve was give for a contract with Open Stalls, an online booking website, for events at the expo center.

Also, Wright pointed out that after reviewing departmental reports, it was discovered that some county departments had overspent on its budget. He said those departments will be cautioned to watch the budget more closely. Wright did not release which departments had exceeded the set amounts.

All commissioners were in attendance for the 40-minute meeting. The next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Jan. 9.