COMMISSIONERS APPROVE PURCHASE OF EMS POLICE INTERCEPTOR

  

The Washington County Commissioners met on Tuesday morning and approved the acceptance of a Bluebonnet Community Grants, awarded to the County, for the purchase of a 2015 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor.

EMS Director Kevin Deramus applied for the grant to purchase the vehicle, which was not in the budget. The vehicle will be used eventually to establish a Chappell Hill ACP. The purchase price of the vehicle is $26,145, and was purchased through a state contract vendor using Bluebonnet Community Grant funds from Bluebonnet Electric.

The need to replace the vehicle comes after the previous one was flooded out and totaled.  The remainder of the funds needed to purchase the vehicle will come from the Texas Task Force, after insurance has paid its portion.

The county will still need to put in another $10 to $15,000 to place the equipment in the new vehicle. This money will come from EMS donations.

The commissioners also approved a grant from the Homeland Security Grant Program awarded to the Washington County Emergency Management to purchase a Zimek Decontamination System from a sole-source vendor using grant funds from the Homeland Security Grant Program.

The grant was originally applied for nearly a year ago to decontaminate the EMS equipment from an Ebola infection, but will now be used for any contagious disease. The price of the equipment is $56,420.20, a 100 percent grant, not a matching grant.

Also approved was a Memorandum of Understanding between Washington County and the Brazos Valley Council of Governments Transportation Partnership to provide transportation for the Senior Center, which did not have transportation. The vehicle that was used was becoming too expensive due to repair issues.  The funding is based on ridership, with the most that can be received at $500. If full ridership is not reached, then only 80 percent will be received (pro-rata), based on what is reported to BVCOG.

The commissioners also approved the granting of the County Auditor the authority to conduct an audit of the FY 2015 Chapter 59 Asset Forfeiture Report by the 21st Judicial District Attorney, as required by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the 2016 Washington County Holiday Schedule.