Mayor Vetoes Ordinance, Special Council Meeting Called

In a letter to Washington, Missouri City Council Members, Mayor Richard Stratman vetoed an ordinance which was passed by a 6-0 City Council vote at the the regular April 20, 2009 City Council meeting.  That ordinance authorized the execution of an agreement for electrical work related to the installation of school signals at Bluejay Drive and Highway 47 in Washington, Missouri.

The ordinance was originally presented to the Council as an agreement between the City of Washington and Gerstner Electric, however the Council modified the ordinance to enter into an agreement with Reinhold Electric, and subsequently passed the modified ordinance.

City staff had provided the Council with a letter from consulting firm Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier (CBB) in which Gerstner Electric was recommended for the project.  CBB advised that Gerstner Electric was recommended "due to their vast experience."

Reinhold Electric however, was the low-bidder by $378.  Upon hearing from representatives from Reinhold Electric at the meeting, and after discussion among the Council members, the Council modified the ordinance to enter into an agreement with Reinhold Electric.  The vote was unanimous among the Council present -- Carolyn Witt and Tim Overschmidt were not present at the April 20, 2009 meeting.

The Council will meet in a special meeting on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 7:30pm in the Council Chambers to address the Mayor's veto.  The veto is the only item scheduled on the meeting's agenda.

The Mayor's letter is included below:

Dear Council Members:

I am executing my veto powers and vetoing Bill #09-10611.  While I agree on saving tax dollars where possible, I also acknowledge that the low bid is not always the best bid.  For the City Council to disregard both the Consultants and City Staff's recommendation, in my opinion is not good business practice.

I would hope the Council would reconsider this decision and follow the recommendation of the Consultant and City Staff in awarding the contract to the second lowest bidder.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard "Dick" Stratman

Mayor