Jail Expansion, Health Ins on Franklin County BOC Agenda Tonight

Franklin County commissioners could vote as early as tonight whether they will go with county manager John Phillips’ recommendation to build  a proposed detention center extension in stages.

Plans are for the construction of a four pod, 96-bed addition to the current detention center, which would house non-violent offenders and women.

At their work session last week, Phillips noted that there was about $800,000 dollars already set aside for a jail expansion from a previous SPLOST and he recommended a multi-phase approach to construction.

“In order to prevent this project from dying and to keep it moving forward, what I would recommend is utilizing part of those funds to go ahead and complete the plans, get the civil site design completed,” Phillips said.

He said that would allow the county over a period of time to use county employees to do site preparation and utilities work.

“So that we’re making progress and have a site that is ready for the actual building construction,” he concluded.

Phillips also recommended putting the jail expansion project on the next SPLOST referendum to secure funding to actually build the jail extension.

“Hopefully, we will be successful in having the SPLOST pass. I think it would be conceivable that we would have the site prepared and everything ready for the contractor to get started upon approval of the SPLOST,” Phillips said.

However, commissioner Jeff Jacques, who earlier suggested the county use its reserve fund to start the project, had some reservations.

Also on the agenda tonight, the board will take up a request from last week by commissioner Clint Harper to consider looking for a new insurance broker to administer the county’s health insurance plan.

County employees continue to have issues with the new plan and its deductible and they claim the current broker, Pat Rising, never fully explained the new plan to them.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at 6p at the Justice Center in Carnesville.