The renovation of the Pulaski County Courthouse has taken another step forward. The county commissioners Tuesday agreed to hire Barnes & Thornburg as bond counsel and Baker Tilly as municipal advisor for the project.
Barnes & Thornburg capped its total fees at $79,000 for the entire project, while Baker Tilly would charge a maximum of $20,000 for a financial evaluation of the county and a maximum of $45,000 for the actual bond sale. But there could be additional fees to Baker Tilly, if the county decides to issue a separate bond for the addition to the Justice Center, rather than doing everything with one bond.
Peters Municipal Consultants had also expressed interest in serving as municipal advisor. Project liaison Nathan Origer said Peters may be a little cheaper since the company has already created a fiscal plan for the county, but he felt the county council would be more comfortable with Baker Tilly. “The information [Peters] provided at the end of the day was right,” Origer said. “He just wasn’t very good at presenting or insisting on things as well. And so between the lack of confidence that I think some of the council members have and the size of staff that Baker Tilly has to support the two leads on this project, I think we’re going to have a smoother project if the county does go with them this time.”
Meanwhile, County Attorney Kevin Tankersley said no county council members expressed any objection to him about using Barnes & Thornburg as bond counsel. Still, the commissioners agreed to give council members five days to object to their choices and call a special meeting, if necessary.
Origer noted that the cost of the bond counsel and municipal advisor could either be paid out of the bond proceeds or with county funding.
