MOULTRIE — Monday night, two county commissioners met with the county’s administrator and finance director and an independent accountant to sort out discrepancies in figuring the county shop’s expenses. One commissioner accused the county administrator of padding the cost estimation to fit his initial tabulations.

County Administrator J.D. Byrd denied the allegations.

“You said at the meeting that you stood by your figures,” County Commissioner Billy Herndon said.

“I do,” Byrd said.

“I don’t,” Herndon said.

“I know, but what we put together…,” Byrd said.

“You’re padding it,” Herndon interrupted.

Byrd went on to say that he and his staff came up with the most accurate figures they could to capture all associated costs.

“… You’re trying to compare oranges and apples. I want apples and apples,” Herndon told Byrd with obvious irritation in his voice.

Herndon hired Beverly Plymel, a certified public accountant with Tucker, Stone and Plymel, to analyze a list of invoices, personnel costs and other operating expenses provided to county commissioners by Byrd earlier this month. The administrator began his estimation of expenses by using budgeted figures, not actual costs. Commissioner Luke Strong said he was interested in actual figures of operation rather than budgeting.

No decisions were made at Monday’s meeting. That will be up to the full board March 17 whether to accept a bid for fleet maintenance, to upgrade and restructure the county shop or to leave things as they are.

First Vehicle Services was the only company to enter a bid to service the county’s entire fleet with the exception of the garbage truck fleet. Yancey Brothers put in a bid but only to service equipment.

First Vehicle Services, Byrd said, would want to start the contract April 1, but that could be an out-of-budget expense. The county’s fiscal budget year begins July 1. Some commissioners already have expressed reservations in entering into a contract in the middle of the budget year.

At the heart of the discrepancy between the tabulations were more than $119,000 in expenses that were included in the county administrator’s figures that Herndon (using Plymel’s calculations) has called into question, namely some administrative costs, expense for a fuel truck driver, fuel costs, residential waste department costs and vehicle striping service.

There was a debate over whether a $5,600 expense for striping would be covered under First Vehicle Services. Byrd clarified with the company that it would but only after Herndon questioned his figures.

Herndon used striping as an example of his frustration.

“That wasn’t in the plan. Now that we’ve questioned things, they call the company and see if they include striping,” he said. “I’m just trying to prove that what numbers J.D. came up with to start with … Now that we’ve got a big difference, J.D. wants to cover his numbers somehow and let it be in the contract, that’s a different story.”

Byrd said that the contract had striping included in it from the beginning.

Not included still are expenses attributable to the residential waste department and any costs that would be considered fuel. Both are up for debate.

Plymel said that she pulled out all entries with the notation “fuel” since First Vehicle Services’ bid didn’t include fuel.

County Finance Director Miriam Faircloth justified the entries labeled “fuel” saying that they were purchases of other items purchased off the fuel truck and were not diesel or gasoline purchases. The entries were labeled broadly, because the expenses were coming from the same account. The identification of fuel only becomes an issue now with the pending bid.

“I did my level best to make sure there wasn’t anything that I pulled in that was inappropriate,” Faircloth said.

Some have said the county wants to dissolve the shop so as to change the department’s management in an attempt to provide more reliable and quicker maintenance and repair to the county fleet. If that is the case, others say, then why not reorganize and keep control with the county? Byrd has estimated that shop reorganization would cost $687,956 total over current operating costs he’s now figuring at $618,948.

Strong took a stance. He announced that he would support reorganization of the shop over contracting with a private company for service. Herndon said that he couldn’t support a bid approval with the administrator’s current tabulation.

“If the money’s right, I’ll be the first one on the train, but I can’t go with it like it is,” Herndon said.

The vote to accept or reject bids is at the board’s next meeting Monday. Shop Supervisor Charlie Carr has asked to be put on the agenda to publicly address the board.

Reorganization would also mean that certified mechanics will be hired for the shop, and the county would no longer use inmates to work on vehicles. Using inmates is a risk the county no longer wants to assume, Byrd said.