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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > December > 22
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
County settles disputes on utilities, no-bid renovation work at jail
Closed door talks over disputed utility payments and millions of dollars of work done without competitive bids have led to a settlement between Butler County and the company that runs the county’s jails.
County commissioners approved this week a settlement agreement with the Hamilton-based agency Resolutions, Community Solutions.
Here is a copy of the settlement agreement:
(Click on the top right corner to enlarge)
Analysis:
The agreement covers several disputes that arose this year, which culminated in the sheriff closing the county’s minimum security jail and commissioners bidding out the job — worth roughly $6 million a year.
The agreement allows the county to break its contract with Resolutions, which the agency insists is enforceable until 2013. The county counters that the contract is void “due to lack of compliance with the requirements of Ohio law regarding competitive bidding.”
The contract stays in effect — paying the agency up to $13.41 per day for every prisoner housed on one of the county’s three jails — until the county hires someone to do the work. The agency provides all the services at the jail except security, which is provided by the sheriff’s office.
The county is reviewing bids received last week from several companies, including Resolutions.
Under the agreement, the county has to pay $127,944 to Resolutions for past utility payments, but gets to keep $180,000 the company originally billed for. Disagreement arose earlier this year over which party was required to pay for utilities at the minimum security jail.
Resolutions is also wiping out a $181,881 bill sent to the county for overseeing renovation of the county’s Court Street Jail.
Resolutions oversaw the $1.2 million renovation with no contract and little oversight. Jail inmates did much of the labor, but the agency paid for technical work and materials up-front, then billed the county for reimbursement. When this newspaper reported details of the deal earlier this year, county and agency officials either blamed each other or refused to comment on the lack of a contract.
The agreement also clears up which tools and equipment purchased for the jail belong to the county and which to Resolutions.
The attorney with the Millikin and Fitton law firm representing Resolutions declined to comment on the settlement.
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