Sounds like Lake City has fishy deal
Columbia County, FL (Posted July 26, 2010 03:45 am)
In the tough economic times, you would think the City of Lake City would at least attempt to make their large purchases in the local area. But that is not the case. I was informed that the city made a purchase of new vehicles in Green Cove Springs and did not even give the local dealers a chance to bid on the contract. I also was told that policy is business as usual with the City of Lake City.
Those actions are completely shameful. Sounds to me like someone might have a fishy deal working with someone at the Green Cove Springs dealer. The person or persons responsible for those actions should be, at the minimum, suspended without pay for 90 days so they can experience what their actions cause some people in our local area when local money is spent outside our area.
At least Columbia County does attempt to buy local when the item or services to be purchased are available in our local area.
This is one time the city should take lessons from the county.
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We adhere to the highest ethical standards
Columbia County, FL (Posted July 26, 2010 04:00 am)
I appreciate your concerns and it amazes me how
citizens will take the "word on the street" and run with
it. In my many years of government this is not unusual
and I am glad to have this opportunity to respond for
the City. Sometimes the word on the street has merit, in
this case it does not.
First the facts: The City did not purchase any cars from
Green Cove Springs. A few months ago the city purchased
seven police cars through a State Bid contract of the
Jacksonville/Duval Sheriff's Department. These 7 cars
were already retrofitted as police vehicles and are
unavailable off the lot. The Green Cove Springs
Dealership was "only" the distribution point.
The City's purchasing procedures comply with all state
standards and policies adopted by the City Council. We
adhere to the highest ethical standards and all
purchasing transactions are transparent. We also
subscribe to
Demandstar which insures all bids and purchases are
made transparent to the maximum amount of people,
business and governmental agencies, always insuring the
best prices for the tax payers of Lake City, the people
that pay the bills.
Mr. Buchner, our Purchasing Director, Debbie Garbett has
twenty three years of experience with 17 directly in
public purchasing. She has three certifications with the
state of Florida and one national certification issued
through UPPCC (Universal Public Purchasing Certification
Council) and is also currently studying for her 2nd
national certification.
Ms Garbett's phone number is 386-719-5818. She would be
happy to make an appointment with you to share the
City's purchasing policies.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised and look
forward to your findings on these pages.
Regards,
Wendell Johnson
City Manager