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Dimmit County rejects current ambulance bid, will re-advertise amid budget and city-contribution uncertainty
Summary
The commissioners voted to reject and re-advertise ambulance-service bids after a timely $900,000-per-year bid and concerns that current county and city budget commitments would not cover that level of service; the county asked for bid alternates separating city and county service areas.
Dimmit County Commissioners Court opened ambulance-service bids on Sept. 9 and then voted to reject the current submissions and re-advertise the contract to address budget and service-area questions.
At bid opening the county recorded a timely bid from Victory Ambulance proposing $900,000 per year; another submission arrived after the deadline and was not considered at opening. Court members, county staff and City of Carrizo Springs representatives discussed the city’s contribution. City Manager Asadio Garcia said the city included last year’s contribution amount in its adopted budget and would have to amend that budget to increase the city’s share.
County officials told the council that past contract paperwork had reflected a higher target contribution from the city and that the county could not responsibly authorize a $900,000 contract without a clear commitment on the city’s share. "We just put in the same amount from last year," Asadio Garcia told the court regarding the city budget; she added that the council could amend its budget if it chose.
Given the mismatch between the county’s budgetary allocation and the highest bid, commissioners moved to reject the current bids and re-advertise with two alternate bid options: one that includes services within the city and county combined, and another that covers county-only services outside city limits. The court approved the motion to reject and re-advertise; minutes record the action as intended to allow clearer pricing alternatives and further coordination with city officials.
Court members discussed the practical consequences of a single contract that covered the entire county: bidders warned that a county-only contract could leave the system with one guaranteed ambulance, reducing redundancy and backup coverage. Commissioners directed staff to prepare the re-advertisement language to solicit both inclusive and county-only bid options and to coordinate scheduling for a joint meeting with the City of Carrizo Springs to discuss shared funding and service expectations before a final award.
