Nash County tables selection of firm for lead service line inventory after commissioners seek contract details

Nash County staff told commissioners on June 2 that the county had applied for and received state LSLR (lead service line replacement) inventory funds for three water districts and recommended MacGay Associates for the engineering and surveying agreement to complete the required inventory work.

Government relations director Emily Moore said the county had received five proposals and selected the firm judged to have the best combination of qualifications, experience and capacity to perform in‑office research, field survey excavation, database updates and GIS work. Moore said the awarded state grant budgets for the three districts vary; for example, Central Nash had a $1,000,000 award while the other two districts had smaller awards. County staff said the total not‑to‑exceed amount that the county asked the state to fund for inventory work across the three districts was approximately $2.28 million and that work must be complete by December under the grant timeline.

Commissioners raised questions on the scope and price. Commissioner Davis said he understood the county’s award covered inventory only but said he wanted to see the competing proposals and the contract detail before approving a multi‑million dollar agreement. Commissioner Howell likewise asked to review the contract language and details, saying any multi‑million‑dollar expenditure required careful review. Moore and staff said the RFQ materials and a proposed agreement were in the board packet, and that the contract language and budget detail would be provided; the county manager confirmed staff could supply the full documents prior to the board’s next meeting.

The board voted to table the item to the June 16 meeting by motion of Commissioner Davis, seconded by Commissioner Howell. Staff said they will return with the complete contract, unit cost assumptions (potholing and field sample counts by service), and comparable project costs from other North Carolina utilities so the board can review prices before authorizing award.