Johnson County officials approved multiple reductions to the Health and Human Services, Ambulance and Medical Examiner, and Administration building budget to align with changes to the project. 

The contract with OPN Architects was reduced by $295,502.50, stemming from a modification to phase 0 and phase 1 of the project, Ray Forsythe, county special projects manager, said during the Wednesday work session.

The amendment comes after the cost for the renovation project was revealed to be 85 percent higher than its initial estimate, with the cost now $27.9 million.

“This is an amendment we discussed during the budget process that we would ask OPN to realign their scope of work to match the work that they’re doing,” Forsythe said.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously during its Thursday formal meeting to pass an amendment for the budget change.

The details for the amendment were featured in the agenda packet for the Johnson County Board of Supervisors Thursday formal meeting. It showed a reduction of $354,84 for contract administration services and a separate reduction of  $137,702.50 for furniture, furnishing, and equipment services.

Officials also approved a $197,040 increase from the project budget for redesign bid documents. 

According to the packet, the amendment relates to changes being made in phase 0 and phase 1 of the project. The amendment “aligns the fee with the current scope of work” for the phases, which have been budgeted for $6.5 million in fiscal 2023, the current budget ending June 30.

Phase 0 of the project is the preparation phase for the project while phase 1 will be the renovations of the county administration building. Phase 0 will run from March to September, and phase 1 will happen from August to May 2024.