The Butler County commissioners on Wednesday moved closer to deciding whether a new office building should be constructed by hiring a construction manager.

The board awarded a contract to Thomas & Williamson of Pittsburgh to be construction manager for a project that hasn’t been approved yet.

The hourlyrates vary between $70 and $89, depending on the services rendered. The firm estimated a total cost of $327,034 if the project is undertaken.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, explained the construction manager would help the county determine if the project is financially feasible.

“He’ll come up with an accurate price,” he said.

Thomas & Williamson submitted the lowest of seven proposals made to the county.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein wanted the commissioners to direct the Butler division of the architectural firm Stantec to design a building with multiple options of where to put a garage in the building.

Eckstein said an underground garage would be too costly.

McCarrier pointed out Stantec already was doing that so a vote was unnecessary.

Eckstein replied he wasn’t sure that was the case.

“It was unclear to me,” he said. “There was some ambiguity there.”

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton agreed with McCarrier that Stantec already is exploring various options. The commissioners agreed to table Eckstein’s motion until they could verify if it would be superfluous to instruct Stantec do something it already was doing.

Although all three commissioners agree more office space is needed for county departments, Eckstein favors buying an existing building rather than constructing one.

McCarrier and Pinkerton maintain the county won’t erect a new building if construction bids are too high. Financing proposals indicate the project would not affect property taxes.

Eckstein also proposed the county bring in the federal Department of Homeland Security to identify any safety issues with the government center, courthouse and proposed building.

McCarrier pointed out the U.S. Marshal’s office would be the more appropriate agency to make such an assessment of court facilities.

Eckstein complained that President Judge Thomas Doerr wrote a letter of support for an underground garage without sufficient consideration of financial limitations facing the county.

Doerr wrote: “I am writing this letter to support these and any other plans that may provide for a wider safety net to be cast over those of us who serve in public office. While it remains incumbent upon all of us to be diligent in creating our own safety plans, I believe that it is important to consider the steps that may be taken to remove us as a target when we are entering and leaving the building in which we work.”

Doerr stated in the letter that he didn’t believe the garage would be more elaborate than a concrete basement room.

Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, said in an interview that Doerr did not ask for an underground garage.

Holman said Doerr just supports any steps that would be taken to improve safety.

“Anytime you make security tighter, it’s better,” Holman said.

McCarrier said the motion to bring in Homeland Security also should be tabled until the county security committee could be consulted, so it could give a recommendation. All three commissioners agreed.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, a member of the security committee, stressed in an interview that he is not recommending where to put a garage, but conceded security measures would be easier to implement with an underground garage.

During a demonstration involving plastic eggs, Eckstein accused his fellow commissioners of playing a shell game by shifting $900,000 in 2012 state gas drilling impact fees with county general fund money to free up cash for a new office building.

“It’s sort of like ‘The Price is Right,’” Eckstein said.

Eckstein shuffled pink and yellow eggs under transparent food containers to show how money would be shuffled.

“You diverted that money,” he said.

Eckstein said more gas drilling impact fee money should be used for addressing impacts to the environment and people’s property rather than for county projects.

Pinkerton refuted Eckstein’s claims: “We didn’t spend a penny of that $900,000.”

Pinkerton said in an interview that Eckstein approved the 2013 budget, which includes projects he said were part of the supposed shell game.

McCarrier also rebutted Eckstein’s claims about diverting money.

“I think Jim should be a writer for one of those tabloids,” McCarrier said. “Most of what he says is not true.”