San Luis City Council voted to continue temporary staffing services with Hire Quest Inc. and to ratify purchase order 20260000603, council members said during the Sept. 16 meeting. Maria Barajas, acting human resources manager, told the council Hire Quest supported special projects and departmental recruitment gaps and that “for the clinic campaign alone, we spent approximately $71,000 last year.”

The vote came after Barajas asked the council to waive the formal procurement process and ratify the purchase order. The council approved the motion and the subsequent voice vote carried, with the mayor announcing the motion “carries.”

City staff said Hire Quest provided workers for the public works cleanup campaign and to other departments while they conducted recruitments. Barajas told the council she expects actual expenses this fiscal year to exceed the amount previously authorized and that staff sought the procurement waiver to allow continued use without delay.

The council’s action ratified the existing purchase order and permitted staff to continue using Hire Quest while handling any required procurement adjustments later. No formal written cost ceiling was established during the meeting, and council members did not specify individual vote tallies beyond the motion carrying.

Council members and staff framed the vote as a staff-requested administrative approval to avoid service interruptions rather than a long-term contract decision. Staff said they would follow any budget or procurement steps required by city code after the ratification.

The council moved on to other agenda items after the approval; no additional public commentary or formal amendments to the Hire Quest arrangement were presented at the meeting.