Potter County approves budget amendment and new Tasco copier lease after staff warnings of higher variable printing costs

Potter County Commissioners on Monday approved a budget amendment and a new lease with Tasco Office Machines to cover countywide copier and printer services, after staff said higher per-page and usage charges could push several departments over existing budgets.

The county judge and commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a budget amendment to cover anticipated increased costs and later approved the Tasco lease under an interlocal agreement with the City of Amarillo. The lease term was described in the agenda as 16 months beginning June 1, 2025, at $6,443.32 per month (about $77,319 annually).

County staff member Brandon, who reviewed department copier usage and the new pricing, told the court he identified four departments that “would definitely go over” if billed at the new contract rates and that one department (Community Supervision and Corrections Department) needs an extra machine because of growth. He said his evaluation used prior-year usage and warned that if some departments print more color copies than before, variable charges could increase further.

Purchasing staff member Allison said the county is piggybacking on the City of Amarillo’s contract and that the county has not previously run a separate competitive bid for this service. Allison noted that a DIR contract price the county reviewed was more expensive than the Amarillo pricing.

Commissioners asked whether the lease reflected the variable per-page charges; several times the court requested the spreadsheet with per-machine and per-page costs that staff referenced. Brandon said he had a spreadsheet and could provide it. Commissioner comments noted concern about committing to a long term while tariffs and pricing are in flux. One commissioner said, “If you agree to this, it We're stuck for 5 years,” referencing the contract length shown in the paperwork.

Despite the concerns, the court approved the budget amendment first by a 5-0 vote, then later approved the Tasco lease, also by a 5-0 vote.

The court discussed the option of going out for competitive bids later; staff said a bid process would take time and that if the county let the contract expire before a new vendor was in place, the county would go month-to-month with Tasco at higher rates.

The lease, the budget amendment and the related spreadsheet are on the county file as part of agenda item 8G; staff agreed to provide the detailed cost spreadsheet to commissioners.

The court did not specify which departments will receive the additional funding beyond the four Brandon identified; staff said they would return with further details if departments exceed projected usage and a further amendment is needed.