CRESTVIEW — After requesting bids from janitorial service companies, city officials determined it was cheaper to have city employees do the work.
Public Works Director Wayne Steele says the lowest bid the city received was for $55,402, submitted by Executive Cleaning. However, hiring two part-time workers to assist a full-time employee would cost the city $48,000.
"I feel confident we can do this work with two part-time people to assist the one full-time person we have on staff," Steele said.
Prorating the cost to cover the remaining eight months of the fiscal year will cost the city $23,789, which Steele said is $21,779 less than the remaining budgeted $45,568.
The city decided not to renew the contract of Southern Management, its former janitorial service, following performance complaints from city departments and for its workers leaving facilities unlocked when they departed for the night, city officials said.
During budget discussions, Crestview Fire Department firefighters opted to clean their fire stations, excepting administration areas, to save taxpayer money.
The new part-time employees would receive no benefits apart from FICA and worker's comp insurance. Starting salary would range between $9.70 to $10.28 per hour depending on the employee's qualifications and experience.
With the City Council's unanimous approval, Steele's proposal went into effect last week.
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This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: City to provide its own janitorial services, saving $21K rest of year