Spending...who's in charge of it in our town.... a place where the buck stops.... Now, to find just that right spot...
Back in April 2010: a fairly new town manager - new to Paris, anyway; and a need for a replacement police cruiser. A 2003 Chevy Impala appears on the horizon through the Surplus Property Program from the State of Maine. According to the purchase order from the town of Paris,4-01-10, as well as the invoice from the State of Maine's Bureau of General Services, 4-06-10, Paris then owed the State of Maine $3,950.
According to the Purchasing Policy in effect for Paris at that time, "The Municipal Officers prior to execution shall approve any purchase or formal contract greater that $3200." [and] "Any purchase or formal contract greater that $3200 must be competitively bid."
The $3950 appeared on warrant #86, which was on the agenda to be approved at the Paris selectboard meeting 5-10-10.
However, consider the following timeline:
4-1-10 purchase order from Town of Paris, signed by Police Chief Verrier;
4-1-10 receipt signed by Chief Verrier for a car purchased from Maine's Surplus Property Program; [note a stamped entry top right corner]
4-6-10 invoice from Bureau of General Services;
4-28-10 check cut by Paris to Treasurer, State of Maine for $3,950;
5-10-10 payment for purchased item authorized.
What's out of sequence here?
And, notice any competive bids?
No one stole a car at gun point, and no doubt the Paris police department needed the car. But. WHO is supposed to be calling the shots here? Perhaps this was a misunderstanding? New manager in town and all...? Perhaps the town manager told the police chief to handle it the way he did...perhaps vice versa... who knows? But the selectboard learned about it after the fact. What...what was everybody doing when they were supposed to be watching out for things? Was anyone at all minding the store?
And here we are 7 months later, the same players, all conducting business in the same old way. Whose interest is being served?
