Trying to find a balance between frugality, transparency and practicality, the Select Board will be reviewing its purchasing policy for the Fire Department.
The town’s current policy states that department heads are allowed to spend their budget up to $1,500 without Select Board approval. However, Fire Chief David Hall said that limit is causing him some issues, especially as most fire department equipment is, by nature, more expensive.
Hall, speaking at Tuesday’s Select Board meeting, cited a recent instance where he attempted to buy and install three refurbished radios for about $500 a piece – individually well under the purchasing policy limit, but together just over it.
The vendor, said Hall, was not willing to produce additional financial comparison information, and unwilling to do the job if it was a requirement.
Hall acknowledged a recent change in the purchasing policy that increased the spending cap significantly, from $500 to $1,500, but said that may still be insufficient.
“This is not the only time this has happened,” said Hall. “This is making my life harder and is having a negative impact on the Fire Department.”
The Select Board discussed whether it would be prudent to increase the spending cap on the purchasing policy. Selectman Steve Atherton said that no matter how high it was raised, there would always be a situation where there was equipment just a little over the spending cap.
While raising the cap might be a solution, Select Board Chair Margaret Charig Bliss also suggested that the policy might also need to be adjusted to allow for purchases of multiple items that individually fell under the purchasing cap.
When Charig Bliss questioned if there were any downsides to loosening the purchasing policy, Town Administrator Aaron Patt said that it was a matter of transparency – the more freedom given to department heads to purchase items without coming before the board, the less likely the board was to be able to answer questions about department purchases. But failing to do so could potentially cause department’s heads to lose out on deals with vendors, such as those who provide refurbished equipment. It’s a matter of balancing transparency with the potential for fiscal savings, said Patt.
The board gave Hall permission to proceed with the radio purchases. The board further agreed to review the purchasing policy, to look at adding clarification regarding purchasing multiple items where the individual cost was below the purchasing cap, and to review the list of items that are exempt from the purchasing policy.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244.