Madison County approves custodial contract with Reliable after hours of debate

Madison County’s Board of Supervisors voted April 20 to award a countywide custodial-services contract to Reliable at an annual cost of $61,800, following hours of debate over outsourcing and its effect on local jobs and building operations.

Chair opened the discussion by summarizing a matrix of vendor bids and a staff model that assumed the county would retain a single on-site building manager while outsourcing routine cleaning. The auditor and staff walked the board through fiscal assumptions — salary plus FICA, IPERS and health benefits for a retained building-manager position — and presented three vendor scenarios showing annual savings in the range shown in the staff matrix.

Public commenters, including Susan Rosina and a representative identifying themself as president of Local 90 Teamsters, urged the board to keep custodial positions local, listing duties beyond floor cleaning such as flag raising, event setup, boiler and water testing, emergency cleanups and building security. "These are people our community depends on," the Local 90 representative said, warning that private firms often rotate staff and produce higher long-term costs.

Supervisors pressed staff and vendors on service levels and emergency response. Staff said vendors included two-hour emergency response and that the RFPs required daily, weekly and monthly cleaning schedules with reporting and optional add-ons for additional facilities. The board highlighted PPI’s live scheduling and inspection software and noted that Reliable’s proposal included all optional services; some supervisors said Reliable appeared to underbid labor and raised concerns about staffing levels.

After discussion about an asset-management function and what the retained on-site manager should handle, Supervisor moved to approve Reliable as the custodial vendor and the motion carried on a voice vote. The board recorded the contract amount ($61,800 annually) and directed staff to finalize terms, retain a building-manager position and require the vendor to meet the RFP’s background-check and emergency-response requirements.

The board and staff agreed to include contract performance clauses allowing the county to terminate or require improvements if service standards are not met. Staff also committed to producing periodic reports showing vendor performance, custodial-supply usage and any realized budget savings so the board can track outcomes.

The decision marks a major operations change for Madison County, which has historically relied on in-house custodial staff. Supporters emphasized projected savings and vendor technology; opponents focused on continuity, local hiring and the range of tasks currently handled by county custodians. The contract is expected to be implemented with transition terms to reduce service disruption and allow the county to reclaim services if needed.