Published: November 02, 2009 08:12 pm      

Commissioners spar on using local companies

Shopping local? Not all the time.

At least two members of the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners are concerned too many special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) transportation construction projects are being awarded to non-local companies. And on Monday night during the board’s special called meeting, commissioners Harold Brooker and Greg Jones expressed their dissatisfaction.

“I’m tired of seeing the SPLOST money go out of the county,” Jones said.

At the center of the discussion were two SPLOST projects: improvements to South Dixie Highway and Cross Plains Boulevard, and the intersection of Cross Plains Boulevard and Old Dixie Highway. Marietta-based C.W. Matthews Contracting was the lowest bidder for the two projects at $691,517, while Meco Builders in Chatsworth was the next lowest bidder at $707,340. County engineer Kent Benson recommended the C.W. Matthews bid.

Jones made a motion to award the contract to Meco Builders. Brooker made a second. Commissioners Randy Waskul and Mike Cowan voted against giving the contract to Meco Builders. Commission chairman Mike Babb, who only votes to break ties, followed the nay votes.

Waskul then motioned to award the bid to C.W. Matthews. Cowan agreed. Brooker and Jones voted against the motion, setting up another vote for Babb. He voted to give the contract to C.W. Matthews.

Babb said he could “go either way” on the vote, but said he worried that setting a precedent of not awarding the contract to the lowest bidder would keep out of town companies from bidding on county projects. Cowan and Waskul said they were concerned about straying from board policy.

“Any time you deviate from a number, then you don’t have a number,” Cowan said. “I think it’s bad business to deviate from your policies.”

But there is some confusion about the policy. The county has a policy allowing commissioners to award purchasing contracts, such as vehicles for the sheriff’s department, to local companies that are within 2 percent of the lowest bid. According to state law, public works construction projects over $100,000 must be awarded to the lowest “responsive” bidder. County attorney Robert Smalley said boards are allowed to use their discretion in defining “responsive.” That vague definition allows commissions and councils to give bids to companies that aren’t always the lowest bidder, he said.