County weighs pest-control proposals for jail, sheriff’s office and county buildings

Jefferson County facilities staff presented competing pest-control proposals for the county’s jail, sheriff’s office and other county buildings and asked the board for direction on which approach to pursue.

The proposals included a lower-cost two-part approach targeted at the jail and sheriff’s office and a combined bid covering all county buildings. Facilities staff said the combined option appeared to be cheaper and offered broader service. “We were paying $500 a month just for the sheriff,” a staff member said, then described proposals that, when combined, were still less expensive for complete coverage.

Staff compared Gem State (every-other-month application) and another vendor described as Spider Man (monthly application). “Spider Man’s suggesting once a month the way that we always have been doing it, which is cheaper. But the gem state is every other month … the gem state is actually a better deal,” facilities staff said. Contractors based in Pocatello and Idaho Falls had submitted bids; Mosquito Squad had also contacted staff and may provide a proposal.

Commissioners told staff to gather any outstanding bids and noted that, once procurement and contract details were in order, facilities could move forward under staff authority. One commissioner said, “We would have to make sure that we get the necessary contract in place. But you make the decision because it's within your preview, and I think that'd be fine.”

Staff also discussed eventual in-house application once county staff obtain licensing and noted jail-specific pesticide restrictions may affect product choice. Commissioners asked staff to return contract documents for signature once procurement submittals, insurance and bonding were verified.

No formal vote to award a multi-year contract was recorded; the board provided direction to proceed with vendor selection and contract execution subject to standard procurement checks.