Washington City Council spending hundreds of thousands of dollars with no bid contracts | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    We all would like to think that the people we hire to run public-service departments would spend the taxpayer's money just like they would spend their own. So you have to wonder how many folks in Beaufort County would spend $175,000 or $200,000 without getting competitive bids. And we have to wonder if you've had a long-term "relationship" with one particular company for years, whether it might not be a good idea to check with other outfits who hire similar companies to see how much they pay for what you are paying for on a "no bid" contract.

    We never cease to be amazed at how some of our local public boards and their managers spend tons of money without using competition to get the best price and highest quality of product and services. This week's Washington City Council meeting was yet another of those "you have to wonder sometimes..." moments.

    Fortunately, for the taxpayers, they have someone like Doug Mercer who does his homework and raises questions...sometimes when it's not the most popular thing to do. But while that's encouraging, you have to wonder why some board members never do and we often wonder what some of these managers do with their time that is so much more important than saving a couple hundred thousand dollars.

    We have to shake our head in amazement when we see such as this: "52 pay weeks (1yr) for one three man crew w/truck and chipper" for $174,553 under "contract tree trimming" in the Electric Utility's budget. That's it. Nothing more in terms of terms and conditions, performance or otherwise. Wonder how much Tideland pays per mile for tree trimming?

    Watch the video and decide for yourself and you can review the paperwork on some of these projects on page 58-62 by clicking here.