08/08/1988 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e Mayor Obie said he respects Mr. Holmer's background in the area of purchas- ing. He said it is appropriate to note that the council is delegating its routine purchasing powers. He suggested a follow-up process be initiated to review the ordinance and investigate whether the procedures are being dealt with in the manner that the council anticipated. Mr. Gleason said staff began redrafting the ordinance since legislation was passed making the council the purchasing body of the City. He noted that Mr. Biedermann was a member of the State committee that drafted the guidelines for the State's program. Staff has taken Mr. Holmer's concerns seriously and met at least six times with him to discuss his suggestions. Mr. Gleason said the situation has become a philosophical disagreement. While he respects Mr. Holmer's position, he said he does not recommend that to the council. If the council adopts Mr. Holmer1s proposal, the council is left with a situation where everything must be bid formally in a procedure that costs over $500 for each bid. He said staff would like to pull many of the detailed purchases under the administrative function. However, he said under the State law that does not seem appropriate. He said the City's purchasing procedures are very good and are both flexible and responsive in that they give the City a public commitment to competitive bid while not burdening it with unnecessary bureaucratic procedures. Mr. Gleason said the ordinance is not a substantial difference in the way the City is currently operating. It is as strict as the State's procedures, and, in some cases, more strict. e Ms. Bascom said she respects the tremendous amount of work Mr. Holmer has put into his recommendations. However, she said Mr. Holmer should have lobbied for support among the rest of the council earlier in the process. Mr. Holmer said Mayor Obie was brought in by the City Manager and said he might have been somewhat deficient in not bringing the issue up to the coun- cil before now. He pointed out that on matters of substance, staff only adopted one of his suggestions. He reiterated his position that the council is deviating too far from sound practice. Mr. Bennett asked Mayor Obie for his opinions on the issue. Mayor Obie said he supports staff's recommendation. He said he is comfortable with the auditing procedures because the council has more review and control than it has over the last couple of years. Mr. Bennett echoed Ms. Bascom's comments that Mr. Holmer should have brought this issue up to the council before now. He said it is difficult to make a decision on something that entails this level of detail. Ms. Ehrman observed the City has not had a single appeal since the formation of the Contract Review Board. She said she might be more inclined to study the issue more if this were an area where the City was getting more requests for review. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1988 Page 12