BOC on hot seat over bid flap

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A LONGTIME Jackson County builder is challenging the way the county government recently handled bids for a new EMS station in Braselton, saying the process was unfair. Keith Hayes, along with his attorney, Mitch Musser, told the Jackson County Board of Commissioners Monday night that there had been irregularities in the handling of the bid proposal by county officials. The BOC is slated to vote on the bid May 21.

At issue in the bid is that apparent low-bidder Blue Frog Construction did not fill out the bid form correctly and had left out some of the project costs and didn’t submit a grand total cost. After the bids were opened, the county purchasing manager sent Blue Frog operations vice president Michael Rubio a memo outlining five specific issues with the bid and asking Rubio to sign a “memorandum of agreement” that the firm’s cost would not exceed $597,914.

Rubio, who is the son of Jackson County Building and Grounds Superintendent Marty Rubio, signed the MOA for that price.

But Hayes and Musser claim that the process was unfair since Blue Frog got a chance to “clarify” its bid after all the bids were opened and the firm knew what every other bidder had issued.

For the full story, see the May 9 issue of The Jackson Herald.

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#1 Unreal!!! on 05/09/12 at 07:24 PM [Reply]

I thought the new county manager just issued a new directive that the county would not be allowing employees to do conract work for the county!!! An employee's son is about the same! I would be willing to bet that Marty Rubio has a interest in the construction company himself and let's Michael be the face and name for the company. I hope Keith Hayes burns them all a new one if they allow this to go through!! The election and January 1st can not get here fast enough!! That applies to the Sheriff's race also!!

#1.1 Burn WHO a new one??? on 05/10/12 at 01:56 PM [Reply]

"I hope Keith Hayes burns them all a new one if they allow this to go through!!"

Ummm...if you will stop for a moment and think about that comment, you may want to think again.

The "them all" that will get "burned a new one" would be the TAX PAYERS. The BOC won't have to pay a penny out of their pocket for legal defense or fines/penalties. EVERY PENNY paid out by the BOC in both defending against a case and/or paid in fines and penalties will come straight out of TAXES & FEES paid by the people who live and work in Jackson County.

So, I hope nobody burns the BOC a new one.

I DO wish that someone who has the best interest of the county tax payers at heart would run for ALL of the BOC positions, but nobody like that ever runs and if they did, they would never be elected.

#2 JustPlainOldBob on 05/10/12 at 03:57 AM [Reply]

We all complain about the corruption. Now what are we going to do about it? If I read this correctly the Dad signed off on it for his son?

Stinks like a rotten potato.

#3 Donald on 05/10/12 at 05:21 AM [Reply]

WHOO, Just a minute. I don't remember this coming through my desk. I get at least 10% of all capital expenditures that JC spends, right Hunter, Chad, and Bruce. And besides that, I have created my own construction Co., so I may want to bid on this project.
This Mr. Hayes, is he the one that JC gave his first Commercial bid to many years ago, when Waddell was in power? Then I think he started getting most of the bids from JC Water Authority. I don't blame him for complaining, he has I'm sure courted a lot of politicians to get where he is today. Dang, having new kid on the block get these type bids, even though this same company did get the Courthouse bid, HMMMM.

#4 Tax payer on 05/10/12 at 08:26 AM [Reply]

Sounds like Kieth Hayes wants the county to spend 30k more then the low bid? Why would they do that? I live in the county and i get no speacial treatment. Keith should just go away quietly after he botched up the senior center project. If Keith Hayes is awarded the project because he is in bed with a few commish's it would be a travesty to the tax payers. Kieth is a spoiled brat, pampered for years in the county at the tax payers expense. We need change, I'm glad michael is man enough to stand up to the good ole boy system. I'm a general dentist that has used Blue Frog they are a stand up company who stands behind there work. If we the tax payers in the county want change we should look outside the board we have and elect a person that believs in fairness for all the people. Not just there buddies like kieth Hayes.

Man up Keith have some integrity and try to grow your business outside the tax payers pockets. Soon your well will run dry and you will have to conduit business like a gentlemen instead of glad handing your buddies.

#4.1 Unreal! on 05/10/12 at 11:26 PM [Reply]

How do we know the bid was 30 thousand less? If you read the story, it said that Blue Frog filled out the paperwork incorrectly and LEFT OUT some of the projects COSTS and gave NO GRAND TOTAL! So how do we really know they had the lowest bid??

#5 Jackson County Bidder on 05/10/12 at 09:57 AM [Reply]

My understanding is most county bids allow them to have discretion in choosing who's to perform the work so long as its in the County's best interest. Seems that if there was a clerical error, but the bids are sound, that the bids should be judged on their merrits and not thrown out for technicalities.

What's best for the county? Take the lowest bidder who made a clerical error or pay an extra $30k (according to Taxpayer above) or spank the low bidder for not putting their name on a form and pay more for the work.

I know its easy to get mad at corruption in gov't, but it doesn't look like that is what is happening here. It looks like sour grapes. I heard that Mr. Hayes had over $170k in change orders at his last job for the county. Do we want more of the same here? Did any other contractor cry? It looks like Mr. Hayes lost this bid and is deperate for work. That might not be the guy you want doing your job. What kind of short cuts will he take if he is so desperate?

I don't know what's going on with the father son relationship, but if they are still $30k lower than anyone else I don't see how the county loses. Weren't the sealed bids open in public? So there was no chance for the father son relationship to provide any benefit. This too sounds like just a smoke screen from Mr. hayes. Lets call the other guy a cheater with no facts to back it up. All the more reason to give it to they guy with the lowest bid and not to reward a sore looser.

#6 JustPlainOldBob on 05/10/12 at 03:38 PM [Reply]

MORE EVIDENCE of A CORRUPT GOVERNMENT IN JACKSON COUNTY GA. NO WONDER MY PROPERTY TAXES ARE SO HIGH. CAN NOT GET THEM TO FIX THE ROAD IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE BUT THEN THEY PEE AWAY MONEY.

#7 Grand Jury on 05/10/12 at 07:47 PM [Reply]

I think it is time for the District Attorney and the Grand Jury to do some investigating in the way business is done in Jackson County. It seems funny that Bicknell did not want to be part of the disscussion with the rest of the BOC concerning this last incident, maybe he knows more than he wants too.

#7.1 Brad Smith....investigate???? on 05/12/12 at 05:27 PM [Reply]

You have got to be kidding. Smith doesn't care about corruption, he was Madison's golden boy. Why do you think you haven't heard anything else about the Pendergrass investigation from three years ago.

#8 Really People on 05/10/12 at 08:05 PM [Reply]

I have said what needs to be done is an alternative ballot to set up an alternate BOC and BOE....and virtually every other department through real hand voting counts and get back to the way its supposed to be done. If you could put up an elected body chosen by the people up against a non elected body thru rigged voting machines in a court of law provided you could change that too...you would have the makings of a real change in the way things are done. Until you sheeple quit whining and yacking of what is and isn't your money is going to keep being taken. Your supposed elected officials are going to keep living the high life and there isn't a thing you can do to stop it. I am hoping they are all on borrowed time. Problem is that the Grand Jury's in most counties are now bought and paid off so trying to convince them that rigged voting machines are manipulating our elected votes. You people need to quit believing that it doesn't happen. DieBold controls all voting. A system with no checks and balances is not the way the country was set up. Ask yourself have you honestly checked the way the county runs the elections? Do you really know how it is tabulated? Are they tamper proof? There are people who can hack things you know.....if we had real elections in a sane world honestly would Barack Obama still have won??????? I submit the answer is NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#9 Timmy L Rainwater on 05/13/12 at 07:59 AM [Reply]

Voters are the reason we have these selfserving "crooks' running things. Look who votes and who don't. Listen to the unintelligent comments made by callers to the call in shows. Have a conversation with a voter before or after most can't give you a reason why they are voting for someone or an answer to a queston about an issue. "Oh I'm voting for good ole Stan.' or "I've heard those - are going to cut my Social Security. Talk about the sheep being led. No wonder the intelligent hardworking taxpayers don't bother to vote because your vote won't mean a thing because of all these unintelligent. I was at the polls voting one day when a daughter and her father were voting. When they didn't see the incumbent they asked me. I told them he wasn't running. They then asked me who they should vote for. Amazing.

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