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Commissioners approve county lawn-care contracts; board debates separate funding for Council on Aging and Village of Yesteryear
Summary
The board approved two county lawn-care contracts after bids; commissioners removed two nonprofit sites from the bid and discussed whether the county should continue funding mowing at the Council on Aging and Village of Yesteryear, asking staff to explore options and return with recommendations.
Pitt County commissioners approved new contracts for lawn care and grounds maintenance on Oct. 20 after a formal bidding process, but discussion continued over whether the county should continue providing mowing service for two nonprofit sites.
Tim Coley of county maintenance told the board the bid covers a one-year contract with two two-year renewals (total possible five-year term). Bids returned by WAC and Little's Nursery were $154,817.51 and $198,000 respectively for the two contract packages. The contracts as advertised excluded the Council on Aging site and the Village of Yesteryear (a county historic village) after managers and staff decided not to include nonprofit sites in the county's bundled lawn-care service.
Commissioners debated that choice. Some members urged continued county support for the Council on Aging's meal programs and the Village of Yesteryear's educational offerings and historic buildings. Staff told the board they had solicited separate pricing for those two sites and received annual estimates of about $16,000 for the Council on Aging and $8,000 for the Village of Yesteryear if handled separately.
Board direction: Commissioners asked the manager and Tim Coley to explore options, including whether the nonprofits could procure separate contracts or whether the county should provide direct funding as a nonprofit appropriation instead of bundling services in the county contract. Several commissioners recommended transparency and keeping nonprofit appropriations separate from government service contracts.
Ending: The board approved the lawn-care contracts as bid and asked staff to return with options for supporting the Council on Aging and the Village of Yesteryear so those sites can remain maintained into the contract period that begins in January.
