WM Council reviews, approves annual no-bid contracts

WM Council reviews, approves annual no-bid contracts

Officials explain reasoning behind waiving bid process

news@theeveningtimes.com

West Memphis City Council completed some necessary annual business during their final January meeting.

The meeting finished with perfect attendance from City Councilors with Ward 2 Councilor Melanie Hutchinson tardy by six minutes. Council made quick work of ordinances waving competitive bids and Hutchinson arrived just as the last of the ordinances were read.

Mayor Bill Johnson worked through the agenda with City Councilor a half hour before the meeting in Council chambers. He indicated it was long but uncomplicated. The mayor and City Attorney David Peeples explained the waivers. Peeples categorized instances where waiving bids serves the city best.

“We waive the same ones each year,” said Mayor Johnson. “Six are repeat type ordinances.”

City Councilors heard six ordinance setting aside the normal bid process read for the first time. Those measures will also be heard again in both February meetings before voting. A seventh item regarding police radio maintenance was urgent, read three times and passed.

Bids were waived for services provided by the West Memphis Chamber of Commerce, certain accounting services for the utility and the airport, to regulatory consultants dealing with energy supply, and city-wide mosquito spraying.

Retired businessman and freshman councilor Wayne Croom asked why bids were waived. He felt competitive bidding was a good business practice. “Anytime a purchase is over $20,000 it has to go to competitive bidding,” said Peeples. “You draw the specs, put out the bid and determine who the lowest bidder is. Sometimes you have a need for something and don’t have time to go through the process. Sometimes there is a sole provider of something. The reason to justify not going through the competitive bidding process ought to be spelled out in the ordinance. It is an acceptable way of doing it because this body has a factual basis to decide.”

An example from the meeting was the need for police to maintain Motorola brand equipment through a manufacturer authorized provider.

“It had expired, so I understand the need for that one,” said Croom.

Councilor Ramona Taylor pointed to some named in the waived bids as key relationships for the city. The Chamber of Commerce and regulatory consultants fall into this category.

“There are some we don’t bid out because we have a relationship,” said Taylor.

It’s hard to change consultants every year, especially when they have been doing it very well,” said Peeples.

“If we disrupt that relationship it has a negative impact.”

The Mayor noted that consultant work would much more expensive since the city share fees with other municipalities.

“With the utility consultants we split the fees with other communities,” said Johnson.

“If we went out on our own it would be significantly more expensive ,” said Peeples. “Putting things out for bid should be encouraged unless there is a justifiable reason. You put things out to bid and take the lowest qualified bidder.”

The aerial mosquito spraying contract was not put out to bid. Since no increase was projected, the city exercised a renewal clause and ask councilors to waive the bid process.

By John Rech