County facilities director cites failed jail generator; $35,000 emergency repair and rental added to budget amendments

Facilities Director Chad Powers told the Ways and Means Committee May 16 that one of the jail’s backup generators failed a recent load test. Contractors traced the failure to a radiator problem and recommended removing the radiator for rebuilding; parts are not manufactured for the model in service.

Powers estimated radiator repair and related work would cost roughly $20,000 and that renting a temporary generator while the repair is completed would add roughly $15,000, for an estimated emergency expenditure of about $35,000. Replacing the entire generator would be far more expensive—Powers said an equivalent new generator would be on the order of $180,000 and would take substantially longer to procure and install.

Powers said the county tested the jail’s generator during an overnight storm and that battery backups otherwise functioned. He described contingency planning in case a generator failed during an active event and said the county must maintain operable generators to meet facility and public-safety requirements. The facilities director recommended funding the emergency repair and the rental ahead of the next storm season.

Finance staff confirmed the $35,000 repair and rental would be added to the budget amendments list and that jail millage funds were the recommended source. Commissioners approved the package of budget amendments, which included that addition.