Approval of security bid for Mount Pleasant Center brings back policy debate among commissioners

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City commissioners’ approval of a local bid for security services for the Mount Pleasant Center revived a policy debate on Monday that had first ensued last month.

In a 6-1 vote, commissioners selected a company within city limits, which along with a reduction in hours, will cost 19.6 percent less annually to provide security on the West Pickard Street property.

But the $57,089 expenditure is still about $6,028 more than the bid submitted by a company in Georgia.

Commissioner Jon Joslin expressed his concern for the move because $6,028 was “a lot to leave on the table” regarding the city’s budget.

“This is a tough one for me because we sit up here and we preach about policies and we preach about percents,” he said. “We’ve a 2 percent local preference. This is a 10 percent preference.”

Joslin was referring to a six-year-old purchasing policy that gives companies within city limits preference in bidding if the proposed amount is within 2 percent of the next project offer.

The Mount Pleasant Center, formerly a state home for people with developmental disabilities, first closed in the fall of 2009. Afterward, City Manager Kathie Grinzinger said state government maintained security services 24 hours a day and seven days a week for an annual cost between $100,000 and $104,000.

The city first purchased the center earlier this year. Several adjustments were made in terms of hours and methodology of how security was provided, Grinzinger said, costing the city about $71,000.

Capt. Thomas Forsberg of Mount Pleasant Police said 16 hours of daily security was previously provided, but has now been reduced to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

“What happens with the security at the state home, from my perspective, was part of the reason we made the decision that we were going to go ahead and purchase it rather than have the state keep it,” Vice Mayor Kathy Ling said, “because we wanted to make sure that we have a bit more say in what was happening.”

A change in policy

At the Aug. 22 meeting, an out-of-state financial bid to repair sewer manholes was approved despite several commissioners’ dissatisfaction of the selection over an in-state company that would cost the city $521 more.

The debate in August left commissioners desiring added language to the purchasing policy that allows them the option to take preference with in-state companies on financial project bids. In response, a proposal for a 2- to 3-percent differential was also approved during Monday’s meeting.

Despite the change, individual variables in project bids could affect which are accepted.

“That’s my problem with policies,” Joslin said, “that you can never write one for every circumstance.”