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Polk County seeks consolidated fire protection contractor; court approves vendor pending legal review
Summary
The county solicited proposals to consolidate fire monitoring, extinguisher, backflow and sprinkler services into a single contractor; commissioners reviewed bids and approved contracting pending legal review to streamline maintenance and billing.
Maintenance staff presented the court with proposals to replace Houston Fire and Security as the county's single service vendor with a contractor capable of handling monitoring, extinguisher servicing, backflow and sprinkler repairs. The goal is to find one company that will perform all fire‑safety services and simplify workflow and billing.
Staff reported they solicited quotes from several firms. CenTus quoted a yearly total of $39,483.41; Backflow Houston quoted $35,008.21; Mid‑South/Dimel quoted $54,144 (which exceeded the county's competitive bid threshold). The maintenance director said he wanted to move away from Backflow Houston and recommended a different vendor based on service responsiveness and combined capabilities.
Commissioners discussed response times and past service issues; one maintenance staff member noted previously slow response times from the incumbent, which sometimes delayed service in critical areas. The county approved proceeding with the selected contractor recommendation and noted the approval will be subject to legal review.
Ending: Staff will finalize vendor selection, complete legal review of the contract, and return to the court with the executed contract and schedule for services.
