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Fremont County SD #2 approves local plumbing vendors after heated debate; two trustees recuse
Summary
After weeks of discussion, the Fremont County School District #2 board approved a list of local plumbing vendors for Feb. 1, 2026–June 30, 2028, then narrowly approved a prioritized primary/secondary/backup ordering; two trustees recused themselves because of vendor relationships.
The Fremont County School District #2 Board of Trustees approved a roster of local plumbing vendors for the 2026–28 contract period and later voted to prioritize them, after more than an hour of debate about procurement structure, fairness and conflicts of interest.
The board first voted to add Hess Plumbing and Heating and a second local firm (recorded in board materials as Sloviac/Slolyak/variation Plumbing LLC) to the district vendor list and named Matt’s Plumbing LLC as an emergency backup for the period commencing Feb. 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028. Later the board reconsidered and passed a separate motion prioritizing Hess Plumbing and Heating as the primary vendor, the second firm as secondary, and Matt’s as backup. The prioritization motion passed 5–0 with two trustees recused; records show the recusals were noted on the meeting floor prior to the prioritization vote.
Board members debating the item raised two central concerns: whether the district should name a single primary provider to guarantee continuity and potentially lower costs, or whether approving a vendor list would support multiple local businesses. Trustee Jill argued for naming a primary provider to protect continuity and fiscal prudence; other trustees and staff emphasized supporting local vendors who met minimum qualifications and allowing the facilities director to assign work based on need and availability.
Amanda Yeeson, the district’s business manager, said the procurement approach had changed during recent meetings from selecting a single vendor toward approving an approved-vendor list to support multiple community businesses. Yeeson also noted the RFP process and minimum-qualification checks were used to ensure vendors met insurance and other requirements.
Several trustees raised procedural fairness questions about the bidding process. One trustee said Hess Plumbing submitted its price early and other vendors later had the opportunity to see public pricing before finalizing their proposals; that sequence, some trustees said, gave later bidders an informational advantage. The board discussed seeking legal counsel to confirm what steps would avoid conflicts of interest when board members have local vendor ties.
Board leaders emphasized that director-level staff would manage vendor selection for specific tasks and that votes tonight approved either a vendor list or a prioritized ordering that the district could use during emergencies or routine maintenance.
What happens next: The prioritized vendor ordering and approved vendor list will be used by district facilities staff subject to the district’s procurement procedures. The board agreed to revisit the process if further legal or procedural clarification is required.
Votes and formal action: The vendor list motion passed with recusals; the subsequent prioritization was adopted 5–0 with two trustees recused. No dollar amounts for specific contracts were adopted at this meeting.
