No major changes to Cedar Rapids’ ‘buy local’ policy recommended

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids City Council finance committee won't recommend expanding a 'buy local” policy to favor vendors from adjoining counties and Iowa over more distant vendors, following scrutiny about sending $75,500 to Illinois for a John Deere tractor instead of a nearby vendor for $59 more.

Cedar Rapids established a preference purchasing policy for certified vendors within Linn County in 2010. City staff advised, and the three-member finance panel agreed, during a discussion on Wednesday that expanding the boundary could complicate rules and discourage competition from vendors bidding to sell products to the city. Furthermore, it really isn't necessary because the issue rarely comes up, said Casey Drew, the city's finance director.

'The more complicated it gets the more people are going to say, ‘I'm not even going to mess with it,' ” Drew said.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett asked the committee to review the buy local policy on Nov. 1 when the City Council voted 6-3 to buy a $75,559 used John Deere tractor from Cross Implement, a company based in Minier, Ill., in favor of one $59 more expensive from Bodensteiner Implement, which is based in Rowley, 30 minutes north of Cedar Rapids.

At the meeting on Wednesday, Judy Lehman, the city's purchasing manager, said city staff evaluated the purchase as one would any used vehicle, studying the year, hours on the vehicle, condition and other details, in addition to price.

'Any time we buy a used truck or anything we look at the best value for the money we are getting because the condition has a lot to do with it,” Lehman said.

She added the Iowa tractor hadn't met one of the minimum specification requirements. That information had not been disclosed previously.

The explanation appeared to satisfy members of the committee.

'I think we are already taking care of it,” said Susie Weinacht, a committee member. 'We are talking about price, quality and minimum specs, so we are not just talking about dollars and cents when we get up there. Staff have tiered it out.”

Committee member Justin Shields added, 'I don't want to do it until we have a group of professional people who come forward and say we need a different law,”

The recommendation doesn't preclude the full City Council from considering the matter further.

The finance committee is proposing some changes to the buy local policy, though. The panel is recommending a buy local expansion to give a leg up to targeted small businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans in Linn County. That is to be proposed to the full City Council for approval, said Kris Gulick, chairman of the finance committee.

As is, local businesses can bid 1 percent to 10 percent higher, depending on the dollar amount, than the low bid and still be selected. Under the proposal, businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans would have an additional 2 percent leeway.

The buy local policy doesn't apply to construction projects managed through the public works department. Those fall under jurisdiction of state law.