Williamson County commissioners exempted the contract for transportation of deceased individuals from the county's standard competitive bidding process June 9, allowing the four Justices of the Peace to continue using Tranquil Mortuary.
What happened
The county's purchasing department flagged that annual spending on deceased transportation had reached almost $253,000 across the four districts, surpassing the $100,000 threshold that typically triggers a formal request for proposal process.
A competitive bidding is recommended to maintain compliance and protect the county from potential lawsuits from other vendors, County Purchasing Agent Joy Simonton said.
However, the four Williamson County JPs opposed an RFP process, requesting that the court use a local government code provision to grant a discretionary exemption for services necessary to preserve public health and safety.
The exemption allows for efficiently removing a body from a public area, something critical for both mental health and public safety, Precinct 2 JP Angela Williams said.
Tranquil Mortuary, the county's current provider, is the only reliable 24-hour local option, the JPs said, and hiring an out-of-county provider would lead to extended response times.
The outcome
County officials said they were concerned the county currently has no formal contract with Tranquil, which has been operating on an at-will basis.
Commissioners voted 4-1 for the exemption at the meeting, with Precinct 2 commissioner Cynthia Long voting no. In addition to allowing the exemption, commissioners requested that the purchasing and legal teams establish a formal contract with Tranquil going forward.
