Iola’s purchasing policy became another source of contention for Iola City Council members, who volleyed a series of testy exchanges about saving money versus sending business out of town.
The issue stemmed from a request by City Administrator Carl Slaugh to have SE-Kan Asphalt Services considered a “preferred provider” of asphalt to the city and not subject to the bidding process spelled out in the purchasing policy.
Slaugh explained his reasoning: SE-Kan is the only company close enough to deliver asphalt to Iola without bringing in a portable asphalt plant, which means the company is frequently the lowest, and many times only, bidder on various street projects.
The explanation didn’t sit well with council members Ken Rowe and Kendall Callahan, who contend the bidding process would still be applicable, and appropriate.
Callahan said the bidding process provides a valuable series of checks and balances to the city to ensure it gets the best bang for its buck. Making exceptions for companies not classified as “sole source providers” would be akin to opening Pandora’s Box.
Their comments drew a swift rebuke from Councilman Joel Wicoff, who said the purchasing policy has proven detrimental to local businesses.
When pressed for specifics, Wicoff pointed to the city’s decision to purchase paper from Service Office Supply of at Coffeyville instead of locally through Iola Office Supplies. The Iola Office Supplies bid was about 30 percent higher than the one from Service Merchandise, about $30 locally compared to $20 from Service Office Supply.
Rowe noted the decision to go out of town for paper was made by city employees, not council members.
Further, Rowe said both Wicoff and Councilman Donald Becker “have been against this purchasing policy from the beginning,” even though the policy has provisions giving some leeway for the city to do business with local vendors.
“That’s right,” Wicoff replied, calling the policy “worthless.”
“We’re talking about lost dollars and lost jobs,” Wicoff said. “How many jobs are you willing to send out of Allen County?”
The back-and-forth ultimately led to Mayor Bill Shirley to speak up in an effort to get the arguing council members to cool off.
The proceedings then took a confusing turn when Becker made a motion to hire SE-Kan to provide the asphalt for an upcoming chip-and-seal project, even though the project wasn’t up for bid. He later amended the motion to hire SE-Kan to offer all asphalt services to the city.
The subsequent vote was deadlocked 3-3, with Becker, Wicoff and Scott Stewart in favor; Callahan, Rowe and Jim Kilby opposed. Steve French was absent and Beverly Franklin abstained from voting.
Mayor Bill Shirley broke the deadlock by voting against the SE-Kan exception. Shirley pointed to City Attorney Chuck Apt’s point that allowing it would not be in accordance with the purchasing policy.
Subsequent discussions following the vote led some in the audience to wonder if the exemption should have been approved, based on the 3-3-1 makeup.
