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Commissioners table county generator service agreement for further review
Summary
Dimmit County commissioners reviewed a proposed service agreement to maintain eight emergency generators across county facilities, including schedule, load‑bank testing, battery replacements and emergency response commitments. Commissioners asked for additional detail and county attorney review and tabled the purchase agreement.
Dimmit County commissioners on Monday discussed and then tabled a proposed service agreement with a private vendor to maintain the county's emergency generators at water stations, the sheriff's office, fire station, radio tower and other sites.
A representative for the vendor (identified in the meeting as the service company representative) described an agreement covering annual preventive maintenance, oil changes, state‑required load‑bank testing, quarterly inspections, simulated power‑out tests and cooling‑system services for older units. The vendor said all but one of the county's eight generators would receive the required load bank testing; the radio tower unit would be handled differently because of the unit's size.
Key points presented by the vendor included: - Annual load‑bank testing and quarterly inspections for seven generators; radio tower unit exempt from standard load bank due to size - Cooling‑system services (hoses, clamps, belts, heaters) recommended every five years; county generators are about 10 years old, so many units are due - Emergency response with a four‑hour maximum response time; vendor cited a recent on‑site repair that restored a generator within two hours - Battery replacement program included in the contract to reduce return trips and ensure parts are available on technician trucks - Invoicing changes: vendors proposed invoicing after work is completed per unit instead of requiring full upfront prepayment
Commissioners asked about warranty coverage, replacement costs if a generator failed, and insurance or credit provisions tied to long‑term service. The vendor responded that replacement of a failed generator would be a capital expense and not covered by routine maintenance; some manufacturers offer warranty credits for ongoing maintenance but most county units were out of warranty.
County staff and several commissioners requested more time to review the proposal and asked the county attorney to examine contract language and terms. One commissioner moved to table the item for further review; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The item was recorded on the agenda as 3.18 (approval of generator service agreement and proposal by Regent Powers). Commissioners did not approve the agreement at the meeting; they tabled it for additional review and legal vetting.
