Blog

Aug 19, 2023

Commissioners discuss purchasing policy

The Ogemaw County Board of Commissioners faced a hefty agenda at the Aug. 24 committee of the whole meeting. Commissioner Brenda Simmons requested the removal of the discussion on the

The Ogemaw County Board of Commissioners faced a hefty agenda at the Aug. 24 committee of the whole meeting.

Commissioner Brenda Simmons requested the removal of the discussion on the Administrator-Controller transition and goal setting from the agenda. This request was made because some discussion items will take a lot of time such as quarterly budget adjustments.

The county’s purchasing procedure policy was discussed by the board. Under the current policy, the county administrator opens the bids with a witness present.

Simmons said this is not transparent; Simmons would rather have the bids opened by the board at the meeting as opposed to one person and witness outside of a public meeting.

All commissioners agreed that bids should be opened publicly. County Administrator-Controller Timothy Dolehanty said he could have a draft resolution at the next committee of the whole meeting.

The board received one bid for snow removal and seasonal maintenance from Justin Benjamin of Finished Concrete and Snow Pros. The pricing for snow removal ranges from $33 to $68 depending on the location and an hourly clean up rate of $80 or $1.35 per minute.

Sheriff Brian Gilbert discussed a Northern Michigan Mutual Aid Agreement. The agreement essentially allows commanding officers of a jurisdiction to request aid from other jurisdictions in emergency situations.

The board also discussed the following:

•Letter of support for empowering northeast Michigan communities: a comprehensive housing study

•Fiscal year 2023 third quarter budget adjustments.

•Fiscal year 2024 budget draft.

•Building temperature issue (see “Commissioners move”).