The Lampasas County Commissioners Court on Monday awarded a bid for custodial services in the new county annex, the breezeway between county buildings on Pecan Street and the “pocket park” behind the offices.

After an extensive discussion about bidders’ qualifications and previous experience, the court voted 3-2 to award a cleaning services contract for $470 per month to the low bidder, Debbie Hardin.

Judge Wayne Boultinghouse, Precinct 1 Commissioner Robert Vincent and Precinct 2 Commissioner Alex Wittenburg voted in favor of the bid award. Precinct 3 Commissioner Lowell Ivey and Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack B. Cox cast the votes in opposition.

Human Resources Director Dorothy Person, who spoke on behalf of the bid scoring committee, recommended awarding the custodial services contract to Julie Figurski. Although Mrs. Figurski bid $1,210 per month, Ms. Person said she earned the top rank of the four bidders when experience and recommendations were considered.

The difference in scores for Mrs. Figurski’s bid and the low bid, Vincent said, was fairly small.

“I realize there’s only 30 points between [the] number one and number three [bid ranks], but there’s almost $800 per month difference,” the commissioner said. “In good conscience, I’m sorry, but I cannot go against the low bidder.”

County officials, Ms. Person said, had sufficient reason to recommend not selecting Ms. Hardin -- the current provider of cleaning services for the lower level of the new county building. On several occasions, Ms. Person said, the current service provider has not fulfilled some cleaning requests.

The previous contract for cleaning services, Vincent and Ivey said, may not have been specific enough to explain the work required of the custodial service.

“In their defense, maybe it just wasn’t clearly spelled out in the contract,” Ivey said.

Ms. Person disagreed, as she said several basic services have not been rendered.

In awarding the bid and a reworded service contract, the Commissioners Court voted to emphasize a clause that allows the county to terminate the agreement with 30 days’ notice.

In other business, the court voted unanimously to accept a landowner’s donation of materials to be used in Precinct 3. Road crews will use the materials for installation of tin horns and covers, Ivey said.

Also, the court voted 5-0 to share with Burnet County the cost of maintaining County Road 1010. About one-fourth a mile of the paved road is in the southern part of Lampasas County, and the remainder stretches into Burnet County.

The cost of materials for the road, which will receive a new seal coat, will be paid out of the Precinct 2 road fund.