‹ Harris County Water Control and Improvement District No. 159 · All districts' issues
concern
Contract award
$83,460
Were bids sought from other firms, and why were three proposals from one vendor treated as separate rather than one $83,460 job?
Water Code §49.273 (three written bids for $25,000-$150,000; no splitting), if the work is a covered purchase; otherwise Good practice: get two or three written quotes even below the $25,000 bid threshold (Water Code §49.273 requires none at that size)
The board action behind it
2026-02-16: Approved the Landscaping Report and three proposals from Berkeley totaling $83,460.00 for hardwood mulch installation in and around the lake buffer zones
What else happened at that meeting
The Board approved new electronic tax payment agreements with First Mobile Trust, LLC and Global Payments as part of the move to Assessments of the Southwest, Inc. as tax assessor-collector. It approved a 60-month electricity pricing agreement with TXU Energy at $0.06871 per kWh and accepted Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.'s insurance renewal proposal. The Board approved three Berkeley proposals totaling $83,460.00 for hardwood mulch around the lake buffer zones, designated the District a Developing District for the 2026 tax year, and approved a Maintenance Agreement with Harris County for the TPHTL Detention and Mass Grading project. It approved a Utility Development Agreement with TPHTL House Hahl, LLC if TPHTL had no comments, and authorized the President to sign a petition to the City of Houston for annexation of 267.49 acres. The Board met in executive session from 1:58 to 2:06 p.m., with no resulting action.The law and guidance in force on 2026-02-16
| Contracts over $25,000 and up to $150,000 need written bids from at least three bidders; work may not be split to avoid thresholds; personal and professional services are exempt §49.273: Same text in force then and now§49.278: Same text in force then and now | Question | Three proposals from the same vendor totaling $83,460 were approved together (p.4). Whether mulch supply and installation is a covered purchase or an exempt service is not addressed; if covered, a single $83,460 job needs written bids from at least three bidders, and splitting into parts below $25,000 is not allowed. |
Who's involved
Berkeley Services (landscape contractor)
Director William (Bill) Cook (President; prepares the monthly Landscaping Report and approves some work between meetings)
Cost to the district
$83,460 Hardwood mulch in and around lake buffer zones. The FY2026 'Capital Outlay - Landscaping' line was $85,000; by the May 18, 2026 report actual spending on that line was $201,194 (HC_WCID_159_AVB_5_18_26.pdf p.2).Why the board approved it
Recorded: “Director Cook, authorized in January to solicit and evaluate bids, presented three Berkeley proposals (p.4).”
No competing bids are recorded, and the three proposals came from one firm. This is the largest discretionary award in the period.