SAN ANTONIO – An agreement, the first of its kind for the US Air Force, hammered out between San Antonio area governments and Joint Base San Antonio will save time and generate dollars for local government entities, officials said Wednesday.
The agreement helps the base expedite the contracting process for JBSA and bring in money to the 13 surrounding San Antonio counties and cities, known as the Alamo Area Council of Government, or AACOG.
The agreement has been in the works for several years.
Members from both groups signed the proclamation that will now allow for JBSA to do its contracting for needed services through surrounding city and county governments.
If any JBSA entity needs landscaping, garbage or recycling pickup, road paving, or construction, they can now contract those services through AACOG rather than going through the federal government process.
Diane Rath, the Executive Director of AACOG, said the agreement is historic.
"Our member governments will be able to support the military and, at the same time, expand their capacity, so we are very excited to have this very mutual beneficial agreement. It's a win-win for both sides," Rath said.
In a pilot project that was done earlier, San Antonio crews did a road paving project for Fort Sam Houston. She says the federal process normally would've taken 8 months but it only took 2 months by going through AACOG.