Faribault County Commissioners hope the third time is the charm.

They awarded the contract for installation of a water conditioning system in the new law enforcement center (LEC) last Tuesday morning. It was the third time they have done so.

The county board gave the nod to Culligan Soft Water of Fairmont on a split 3-2 vote. Culligan’s quote of $22,695 was the lowest one which met all of the specifications – or at least “meets most if not all specifications per details.” County Auditor John Thompson wrote in a memo to the board.

Thompson had contacted all of the vendors who had previously submitted quotes for water softener systems in the past, asking them for new quotes.

Previously the county board had awarded the contract to two firms, both of whom had not signed the contract, forcing the county to seek new bids.

For more of this story, see this week’s Register.