When it comes to spending taxpayer money, those tasked with overseeing the funds own a fiduciary responsibility.
Elected officials are expected to maximize public dollars at all times while minimizing spending.
It’s not an easy job by any means, as local leaders must always weigh the positives and negatives of every decision they make with public monies.
However, some errors — and the policies surrounding them — leave room for improvement
The Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department recently announced it would not be able to purchase the minimum six new trucks and one new car it had planned on due to clerical errors on bid documents.
Instead, the county will purchase five trucks and one car — but at a price much higher than anticipated.
Bartholomew County Commissioner Chairman Larry Kleinhenz said that three dealerships submitted bids to provide deputies with the new vehicles, but the two lowest proposals could not legally be considered because their submitted bids were incomplete.
The only dealer who properly completed and submitted all required paperwork — the John Jones Auto Group of Salem — bid $20,000 more than the lowest bidder.
Bids are sometimes rejected because the vendor’s offer doesn’t meet specifications, bid bonds are not included or non-collusion affidavits weren’t provided. Other mistakes can also get a legitimate bid get tossed out, such as simple as the lack of a signature.
To simplify the process, many law enforcement agencies purchase new vehicles only from dealerships who have negotiated contracts with the state. The contracts provide bulk purchasing power, which usually translates into the lowest possible cost to city, county and state law enforcement agencies, according to Sheriff Matt Myers.
Myers said Bartholomew is one of the few counties to not use the state’s system.
Kleinhenz said the reason the county continues to bid contracts is so that local dealers have first dibs on the sales. In addition, sometimes the state bids are also not the lowest, so cheaper deals can be made.
The commissioner said that throwing out every proposal and starting the entire process again to seek new bids would have undermined the integrity of the county’s bidding and that the situation was a rarity.
While this occasion may be rare, it never should’ve happened.
The sum of $20,000 may seem like a small chunk of change in the big picture, but that money should’ve been put to better use. Sloppiness resulted in it going to waste.
Kleinhenz suggested that a sheriff’s representative be appointed to follow up with local dealerships to ensure all paperwork they submit is properly filled out in the future.
Whoever’s fault it is — whether it be the sheriff’s department or the county — steps need to be taken to prevent such an issue.
Helping out local businesses (even ones as far away as Salem) is a nice idea, but if it’s going to cost an exorbitant amount of money the county is not better off.
It’s not the county commissioners that are getting burned in this deal — it’s all the taxpayers.
