How many county commissioners does it take to screw in a light bulb? No, that’s not the opening to a bad joke. It’s a question many taxpayers are now asking in regard to the stalled renovations at the Washington County Courthouse. The project has come to a stop, thanks largely to indecision and a lack of communication on the part of county commissioners.Members of the commission’s County-Owned Property Committee claim to be trying to spend tax dollars wisely on the project. But as things stand now, the renovation project will exceed its allocated budget.As County Mayor Dan Eldridge summed it up recently to Press staff writer Gary B. Gray: “We’re being asked to change the project halfway through it. The original estimated cost was $220,000. We’ve already spent all but $40,000 of that, which was carried over from last fiscal year. “The County-Owned Property Committee is asking that the county come up with an additional $110,000 to complete the project, meaning we will have gone from a $220,000 project to a $330,000 project.”Committee members have expressed concern about the use of inmate labor. That’s odd since skilled felons have been used by local governments for many years to help save tax dollars on such construction projects. Some Washington County commissioners, however, now think it would be better to subcontract much of that work out to the private sector. Doing so, however, would add to the project’s cost.Sadly, after many long months of review and debate by the County-Owned Property Committee, there is still no sign the project will be put back on track anytime soon. As Gray reported last week, GoinsRashCain — the Kingsport company hired to oversee the construction on the second floor — is removing its project trailer from behind the historic courthouse.“You’re not going to hurt my feelings if you say, ‘Hiram, go back to Kingsport,’ ” the company’s cofounder, Hiram Rash, told members of the commission’s Budget Committee on Wednesday. “I’ll pick up and go. I’ve got plenty to do.”Rash also told the Budget Committee he could not guarantee his estimated cost for the project would not exceed an additional $150,000. And he was unable to say how much could be saved on the project by using inmate labor for portions of the remaining construction.With so many unanswered questions, members of the Budget Committee decided to send the issue back to the County-Owned Property Committee. It’s important to note that although members of that committee were invited to attend last week’s Budget Committee meeting, not a single one showed up to participate in the discussion.This dysfunctional back and forth between the two committees must come to an end. Commissioners should put the good of the citizens they serve ahead of politics and work with the county mayor to resolve this issue.If they can’t, then that’s something county voters should consider when they go to the polls Aug. 7.
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