McComb’s city board made purchases for repairs at the city’s wastewater treatment plant Tuesday, but cast split votes over questions concerning whether the city was flouting state bidding laws.
The board approved three parts purchases and labor totaling $56,763, including a block heater, battery charger and generator controller for $10,458, a submersible pump for $25,632 and a coupling for $6,000. The labor was $14,673.
Selectman Matt Codding questioned whether those purchases, combined with purchases made for the repair project in an earlier meeting would constitute a circumventing of the bidding laws.
Local governments can make purchases after obtaining two quotes for items or services under $75,000, but must seek competitive sealed or electronic bids for amounts more than $75,000.
However there are exceptions in the law.
A summary of bid laws and exceptions from Auditor Shad White’s office on the state website lists equipment repairs — performed in-house or by outside companies, with component purchases — as an exception to bid laws, unless the repair requires the purchase of a complete equipment assembly.
Each of the four separate agenda items prescribed payment from the capital improvement fund.
Codding attempted to ask whether modernization funds provided by the state from the internet sales tax could or should be used instead, since the state did not remit the latest allotment to the city.
The state requires the modernization funds for each year to be spent over the course of the year, and not saved up. City Administrator David Myers said the city had about $700,000 in the city’s modernization fund, and Mayor Quordiniah Lockley said the city has amended and resubmitted paperwork to receive the last round of modernization funds.
Codding made repeated attempts to try to change the payment source from capital improvement to modernization funds, but Lockley ruled Codding off-topic from the question at hand and refused to entertain the change.
Codding then attempted to table the generator parts purchase, but his motion died without a second.
On the first two agenda items for the wastewater plant, Codding and Selectman Tommy McKenzie voted against the purchases, creating 4-2 votes with board members Terri Waterman-Baylor, Eddie Thompson, Bruce Mullins and Tabitha Felder Isaac in favor.
On the other two items, Codding elected to recuse himself, abstaining rather than engage in what he called “unethical purchasing.” McKenzie continued to vote against the purchases, creating 4-1 tallies.
On four other purchases, the board agreed to table the items.
Four pickup trucks of three different sizes were listed for purchase under the state vehicle contract from Kirk Auto World in Grenada.
Several selectmen questioned whether local dealerships had been given the opportunity to provide a quote and possibly beat the state contract price.
Myers said he had not contacted local dealers, and that beating the state contract price very rarely happens.
“The state contract is so low, they can’t beat it,” he said. “They lose money.”
Baylor and Isaac offered motions and seconds to approve each of the purchases, but they were outvoted 4-2 on substitute motions by McKenzie and seconded by Codding and Mullins to table the purchases until local dealers get the chance to offer a quote if they are willing.
In other business, the board:
• Hired Reginald Martin and Adam Nunez as firefighters.
• Waived the Martin Luther King Center’s rental fee for an expungement clinic offered by the McComb NAACP.
• Amended the budget to buy turnout gear for the fire department for $30,552.
• Amended the budget to install new heating and air conditioning units at police headquarters and Fire State No. 1 for about $20,000.
• Paid Bruno and Tervalon $46,732 for the 2019 financial statement and audit.
• Paid the annual $10,000 membership fee to Scenic Rivers Development Alliance.
• Paid Crain Tractor and Equipment of Columbia $30,751 for tractor repairs.
• Elected to continue receiving monthly department head reports.
