The County Board of Supervisors needs to pay special attention to that old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Too often these days our public agencies are awarding contracts to nonlocal companies to perform services within our city and county.

The reasoning is that these new companies can provide better services, come in under budget, have more experience, etc.

What ever happened to sticking with "tried and true"? All I hear these days is strategies to make our city and county more business friendly. How business friendly do you think we are when we show no loyalty to the companies that have made Merced their primary location for decades?

And let's talk about reputation and track records — I recently read that a First Student driver was arrested because of his lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor — who rode his bus! In all the years the MTC held the school bus contract, never was there any incident of this kind of pedophilic behavior. Choosing the cheapest vendor means you get what you pay for.

Let's stick with what we know. Please, Board of Supervisors, do the right thing and keep Riggs Ambulance.

CYNTHIA KELLY Merced