| EMA cleaning price a concern?
The cost of cleaning the offices of Loudon County
Emergency Management Agency will increase from just $720 per year to
$3,072.
The hike comes after longtime cleaners, Rick and
Patsy Harvey of the Harvey Company, decided to semi-retire by the
end of 2017, causing officials to look for a replacement.
Loudon County Mayor Rollen “Buddy” Bradshaw said the
Harveys had cleaned all county offices except the Justice Center and
the health department since about 2006.
“I think in the big picture it was a little
surprising,” Bradshaw said. “The Harvey Company, they were losing
money on what they were cleaning and the price they were charging,
so we kind of knew and expected it was going — that particular
portion was going to be a little higher.”
Three bids came in Dec. 19, with Coverall being the
lowest at $44,412 to clean county offices. Others were Groovy Bright
Cleaning at $48,000 and S&Z Holdings, which accidentally bid
$257,300 and eventually withdrew the bid.
Loudon County Purchasing Director Susan Huskey said
the EMA portion was the only part that “significantly increased.”
Loudon County Commission will vote on a budget
amendment to cover the increase at its February meeting. Bradshaw
said the county will have to reevaluate the EMA portion of the
contract if commissioners vote down the proposal.
Huskey said the EMA office is the only building not
covered in the maintenance budget. Funds come directly out of the
EMA budget because it is housed in a building not owned by the
county.
“That’s a building of course EMA shares with
911,” Bradshaw said. “Now the county did back in 2006 put
$140,000 toward the building, and so that includes EMA Director
(Daryl) Smith, his assistant Kelli Branam, their areas, the
common areas, and so it’s ... a little bit surprising but at the
same time I understand why.”
Commissioner Van Shaver has some concerns with
the increase.
“I plan to fully look into it a whole lot closer
between now and the voting meeting, but it was a substantial
annual increase and I guess what was surprising to me is just
that little section ... has its own cleaning contract instead of
just being serviced by whomever services the whole 911
building,” Shaver said. “So just little questions like that —
I’m sure we need to get it cleaned but not sure how dirty it
gets.”
Bradshaw said ultimately there isn’t much the
county can do to get the price lower.
“We’ve been told it was the same amount of work
as being done before, that it went out for bids and this was the
lowest bidder,” Commissioner Matthew Tinker said. “... It’s just
unfortunate. Sometimes when you have local people who have been
working in the county for a long time doing things that when you
have to go with a different group, sometimes the price goes up.”
County decides on EMA cleaning Jeremy Nash news-herald.net
Loudon County Commission on Monday agreed
money needed for cleaning Emergency Management Agency
offices will be taken out of the department’s budget for the
remainder of the 2017-18 fiscal year.
Commissioner Van Shaver motioned and Kelly
Littleton-Brewster seconded, with the vote passing 9-1.
Commissioner Henry Cullen was the lone opposing vote.
The vote comes after Loudon County officials
had to find new cleaners when a longtime vendor opted for
semi-retirement by the end of 2017. Three bids were received
Dec. 19, with the lowest coming in at $44,412 from Coverall.
The EMA’s cleaning portion amounted to $3,072 per year, a
significant increase over the previous expense of $720.
EMA cleaning will require $1,146 to finish
out the fiscal year, Loudon County Budget Director Tracy
Blair said.
“Normally we try to pay the things out of
existing budget rather than put new money in,” Shaver said.
“That’s just a common practice we have. I don’t know why
this one’s different. This is a department whose budget has
grown by 80 percent since 2010. It’s gone from $102,000 to
nearly $200,000, and this is how it’s done — $3,000, $1,000,
$5,000, $10,000, and none of the numbers I’m giving you
includes the squirt boat, that’s a whole different thing.
That’s a standalone expense itself.
“But this is how it’s just crept up and crept
up and crept up until just a few years ago ... it used to be
a $50,000 a year project, and I’m not picking on Daryl
(Smith, EMA director) but this is a department that’s just
totally out of control as far as growth,” he added.
EMA’s initial budget for the 2017-18 fiscal
year was $195,156.
“What you’re missing is all the EMA grants
that go back into the general fund and fund it,” Cullen
said, responding to Shaver. “That’s probably half of that
number.”
Blair said the county budget committee
unanimously approved the money.
“My thoughts are tonight, too, are we have
committees in place to oversee items and make
recommendations to full commission,” Steve Harrelson,
commission chairman, said.
Commissioners will still need to look at the
EMA cleaning in the next budget cycle, Shaver said.
“The only reason I said ‘nay’ is because at
the end of the year if we don’t use it all, which he
doesn’t, we send it back to the general fund,” Cullen said
in a follow-up interview. “It was bid, they got to clean the
place, they went out on the standard bid procedure and
that’s what it came back at. I’m going to say the people
that were doing before were giving them a heck of a bargain,
so what are you going to do?”
In other news, Loudon County Commission:
Approved a resolution to amend the county
zoning resolution, Article 5, Zoning Districts, Section
5.045 C-2, General Commercial District.
Rezoned 1.7 acres from C-2 (General
Commercial District) to R-1 (Suburban Residential
District) at 366 White Wing Road in Lenoir City.
Passed a resolution to accept donations
to Loudon County Animal Shelter.
Moved forward with amendments in County
General Fund 101, County Drug Fund 122, General Purpose
School Fund 141 and School Federal Projects Fund 142.
Accepted a $3,327.50 donation by Loudon
County Council on Aging to purchase a treadmill at
Loudon County Senior Center.
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2/14/15