St. Joseph County approves outsourcing of custodial services, commissioners cite nearly $300,000 annual savings

St. Joseph County commissioners on Jan. 7 approved a contract with Goebel's Commercial Cleaning Services to provide custodial services for multiple county facilities, a move county staff said will save roughly $295,000 in 2025 alone.

The contract was included on the meeting agenda and approved by a motion that passed unanimously. Bree Roberts, director of physical assets for St. Joseph County, told commissioners the county's current annual expenditures for custodial full-time equivalents and benefits are $633,295.32 and the Goebel's contract totals $337,998.44, producing an estimated 2025 savings of about $295,295.40. Roberts also said Goebel's will purchase chemicals on the county's behalf and she estimated chemical expenses at about $5,000 a year, which would increase the total annual savings further.

County staff described personnel transition steps in response to commissioner questions. Roberts said the Goebel's proposal includes offering interviews to all current custodial staff and honoring 2024 pay rates for employees who accept positions with the contractor. A company representative identified as Josh told the board the contractor has spoken with current employees, will offer positions at the same rate of pay, is converting several positions to full-time, and expects one part-time role to remain; he said some employees have since expressed interest in joining the contractor.

The discussion included acknowledgment that employees were notified of the outsourcing and that initial reactions were mixed. Commissioner comments thanked staff and the contractor for meeting with affected employees and for the professional manner of the transition process.

Several members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to raise concerns about privatizing county jobs. Cheryl Nicks, identified in the meeting as a Clay Township resident, said she opposes the decision and warned that outsourcing can lead to lower wages and “pay to play.” Nicks said, citing her research, that the contractor pays workers $10 an hour, and she expressed concern that the county lost “good paying county jobs.” Dan Caruso, a resident of New Carlisle, asked whether the janitorial contract had been publicly bid; county staff said the documented bid process produced the selected bid.

The motion to approve the agreement with Goebel's Commercial Cleaning Services passed by voice vote, recorded as "aye" from Commissioners Anthony Hazen, Rafael Morton and Karl Baxmayer.

The county will provide the signed contract to the vendor and begin transition steps as outlined in the vendor's proposal and the county staff presentation.

Ending: Commissioners also approved several other agenda items during the Jan. 7 meeting, including leases, change orders on a water-main project and multiple grant awards (see separate "Votes at a glance" article for the full list).