County should shop for best deal

Ted Champ is right.
Again.
Champ, a member of the Jay County Council who several months ago complained about Jay County Commissioners’ penchant for making purchases without comparing prices, cast what turned out to be a symbolic vote Wednesday when commissioners asked for more than $63,000 for a new courthouse roof.
Commissioners’ president Milo Miller Jr. says only one quote from one supplier (in this case, Technique Roofing Systems of St. Henry, Ohio) was solicited for covering the roof with a high-tech membrane.
Although Indiana law requires three quotes be solicited for most purchases expected to cost between $25,000 and $75,000, commissioners’ attorney Bill Hinkle says that the commissioners are purchasing a service that is not subject to that law.
But whether or not it is permitted, the point is that there was no good reason for the commissioners to settle for the only quote they received for the work.
Technique Roofing Systems may have provided the best product for the best price for the new courthouse roof.
But without soliciting other quotes, or researching other options, how do we know?
Miller, whose background as a contractor gives him some expertise on the subject, said last week he is convinced the product (manufactured by a company in Michigan) and the installer (Technique Roofing) are the best available choices.
Asked why a search wasn’t made for installation options, Miller said, “That’s a good question. That’s what the three commissioners decided. That’s our prerogative, I guess.”
Miller expressed frustration that members of the council — in this case, Champ — are acting outside their scope of authority. And while we concur, we feel if the commissioners would have looked into other companies or options, no member of the council would have objected.
We agree with Miller and the commissioners that it’s important to do this job right, and we recognize the money is coming from a non-tax source (the Infrastructure Fund, which is generated from a host fee paid by the Jay County Landfill).
But going with the first sales pitch isn’t the way we would run our households, and it isn’t the way the commissioners and council should be spending the public’s money.
Champ is right.
It just makes sense to shop around. — M.S.[[In-content Ad]]