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Polk County ratifies emergency HVAC procurements for probation office and jail
Summary
Facing sudden failures of cooling systems, Polk County Commissioners Court ratified advertisement of a chiller replacement bid for the adult probation building, selected a vendor for immediate work, and authorized emergency HVAC repairs at the county jail not to exceed $150,000.
Polk County Commissioners Court on May 13 ratified emergency procurement steps to replace failed HVAC systems at two county facilities and authorized emergency funding to restore conditioned space for staff and clients.
County maintenance staff reported a catastrophic failure of a chiller serving the adult probation facility in late March after an initial technician bypass and subsequent low‑refrigerant faults. Because the failure was sudden and posed an operational risk, county purchasing and maintenance advertised a bid package on April 21 for replacement equipment and asked the court to ratify that decision. County staff said the situation qualifies as a public necessity under Texas local procurement law, allowing emergency expenditure from general fund reserves.
During the bid review the court discussed three bids and the availability of contractors: one low bid provider based in Conroe could not start until August, while a local contractor (identified in the packet and by staff) could start in late May and provide a multi‑year compressor warranty. Commissioners voted to accept the local vendor’s bid for $86,189 with work to begin the week of May 23. The court ratified the previous advertising and awarded the work so the probation building could regain reliable air conditioning.
Separately, the court authorized emergency HVAC repairs at the Polk County Jail after a recent controller failure revealed the jail’s aging system required immediate work. The court adopted a resolution declaring an emergency under the cited state procurement code and authorized use of general fund reserves for repairs not to exceed $150,000. County staff said a local contractor familiar with Polk County systems (listed in the meeting packet) would perform the repairs; staff also said it obtained a higher quoted price from a Houston firm.
County officials emphasized the work was necessary to maintain state‑mandated facility functions and to protect occupants from extreme temperatures. The court used emergency procurement exceptions and directed that related budget amendments and resolutions be filed with the auditor’s office as required by law.
