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Geary County declines high snow-removal bid; Public Works to handle service
Summary
Commissioners voted to reject a single high snow-removal bid and directed Public Works to perform snow-removal duties while staff tracks costs to compare contracting vs. in-house work for future budgeting.
Geary County commissioners voted to decline the lone snow-removal bid the county received and assigned the work to the county's Public Works staff, citing an excessively high price from the bidder. The motion to reject the bid was made by a commissioner and approved by voice vote.
Public Works Administrator Jeremy Myers told commissioners the single bid was substantially higher than previous contract years and not feasible for the county to accept. He recommended rejecting the bid and having building maintenance and Public Works staff handle snow removal this season, while the county tracks the internal cost of performing the work in 2026 to compare with contract pricing.
Myers said the county will maintain a stockpile of salt (about 500 tons on hand) and that doing snow removal with county personnel requires reallocating Road and Bridge personnel at times. Commissioners discussed the variability of snow seasons and the difficulty contractors face estimating costs across years with highly variable snowfall.
The board approved the recommendation to decline the bid and have Public Works perform the service. Commissioners directed staff to gather detailed season-long cost data next year to evaluate whether contracting or in-house work is more cost-effective.
