Houston approves regional agreement on paving

The Houston County Commission on Tuesday approved an agreement with seven other cities and counties to save money on road resurfacing.

The agreement allows resurfacing done by each government to be bid as one contract to achieve a volume savings. Houston County spearheads the effort.

Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker said it’s extra work for the public works staff but it ultimately saves the county money. This makes the fifth year the agreement has been done and Stalnaker said all of the governments involved are happy with it.

“It has been a win-win for everyone,” Stalnaker said. “People talk about regionalization and working together. This is a prime example of that not only of the four local governments in Houston County but governments outside of Houston County.”

The participating governments are Warner Robins, Centerville, Perry, Byron, Hawkinsville, Pulaski County and Dooly County. The contract is awarded at a per-ton cost for asphalt, and each government pays based on how much is used. Previous bids under the arrangement have been estimated to be significantly lower than what would be expected if each government bid the work individually.

This story was originally published January 11, 2017 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Houston approves regional agreement on paving."