TAMPA - Allegations of bidding irregularities in the Hillsborough County Water Department brought their first casualty Wednesday.
But it was a policy that fell, not an employee.
Commissioners scuttled a proposal that previously appeared headed toward approval. It would have given the county staff broader latitude in awarding contracts. The proposal would have raised the financial triggers that determine whether, for example, a department director may approve a contractor without bid or must seek multiple offers.
"I think it's fraught with problems, and I think staff is going to be placed in compromised positions," said Commissioner Jan Platt, leading the opposition.
Commissioner Kathy Castor moved to approve the changes, saying they were upgrades allowing staff flexibility to make make expeditious decisions. But she mustered only one other supporter in Commission Chairman Tom Scott.
Castor's motion died 2-4, with Commissioner Jim Norman out of the room.
"I can understand their concerns," said county purchasing director Lu Banks. "It was a timing thing."
Late last month, County Administrator Pat Bean received permission from commissioners to spend as much as $200,000 to investigate a series of allegations of spending irregularities in the Water Department. They include accusations that Water Department supervisors skirted purchasing requirements to award favored contractors work, including to one unlicensed painter.
Gerald Hicks, a painter who has said he lost business to an unlicensed competitor, addressed commissioners Wednesday, saying the idea of loosening rules on contract awards was ill-timed.
"In the face of everything that is going on, I find it incredible that, on their own, they wouldn't withdraw (the proposal)," Hicks said after the discussion about purchasing staff. "It directly involves purchasing. Their credibility has been drawn into question."
