By: TONY MARKS
Editor
After the bids for the construction of the new parish jail were rejected, and Sheriff Charles Guillory explained the decision was based on the lack of sub-contractors.
According to the sheriff, there were originally three mechanical sub-contractors. Two of them eventually backed out, which left one sub-contractor with a bid of around $3 million.
“When he found out he was the only mechanical sub-contractor,” Sheriff Guillory said, “he bumped his bid to around $9.7 million. The total project is just shy of $30 million, so that one sub-contractor was one-third of the whole job.”
That prompted the sheriff and the architect to meet with the four contractors who submitted proposals and reject all the bids.
Now, the architect is contacting additional sub-contractors in hopes to rebid the project in January. There is also hope there will be additional general contractors submitting proposals.
“If we do it in November,” the sheriff said, “Christmas is there and the holidays are there. So, we just put it off into the new year, and it should lower the price.”
He went on to say, “Right now, I’m really hoping and am confident that in January I’ll be able to accept one of the bids and go forward.
For the sheriff, rejecting the bids was about being a good steward of the taxpayers’ money as the construction of the jail is being funded through bond money.
“I understand the architect has to make money and everybody has to get a piece of the pie,” Sheriff Guillory expressed, “but let’s be fair. Make a fair profit, but don’t make huge profits. I’m the keeper of the bank. It’s our taxpayers’ money, and I have to watch it.”
Even though construction of the jail is delayed, the sheriff received all of the bond money. The funds are currently invested in a secure investment. The sheriff said, “I’m yielding almost one percent above our interest rate, which, I think, is 4.1 percent. The interest rate is very good. We’re earning money, and we’re paying the note.”
The note on the bonds is being paid through proceeds of the sheriff’s one-cent sales tax.
Once the new jail is constructed, Sheriff Guillory acknowledged he has money in place to fund it. He also plans on additionally funding the jail by housing 20-30 DOC inmates, which will bring in around $27 or $28 a day per inmate. The sheriff also plans on generating revenue through a work-release program where the sheriff’s office will collect 50 to 60 percent of the paycheck and the rest is saved away for when the inmate is released from jail.
June 20, 2026
