Here’s a recap of Greer City Council’s April 28 meeting:
Approved: Greer City Hall renovations bid
Council approved a $128,000 bid for an interior renovation project in City Hall that involves converting a storage room and small conference room into office space to accommodate the city’s growing staff. The project is funded through the current fiscal year’s general fund budget. For that reason, the project work is required to be completed before the fiscal year ends June 30.
In explaining the project to council, procurement and grants supervisor Rosalyn Carcamo said the tight turnaround time rendered two of the three responsive bidders ineligible since their bids involved the work extending beyond the end of the fiscal year deadline.
The winning bid from Fountain Inn-based P + F Construction LLC was for $127,999 and was about $12,000 more than the next lowest bid and nearly double the lowest bid. Council questioned the wisdom of requiring projects to be completed by the end of the fiscal year if the impact of a tight schedule was to drive up the cost of a project.
During the discussion, Deputy City Administrator Mike Sell said staff was looking at changing budget and accounting policy to accommodate capital projects that may be budgeted in one fiscal year but completed and paid for in a succeeding fiscal year.
First reading: CPW revenue bond ordinance
Council voted 4-3 to approve first reading of an ordinance authorizing the Commission of Public Works to issue up to $33 million in utility revenue bonds for maintenance and capacity upgrades to CPW’s water and wastewater systems.
In explaining to council the nature of the work, CPW General Manager Marc Regier said the projects being funded were expected to cost about $22 million and were being undertaken before the need was critical and before the cost of the work inevitably increased.
During a lengthy discussion, council members questioned the necessity of their involvement since the projects and debt were approved by CPW without council’s involvement and without apparently obligating city taxpayers to repay the debt in the event of default.
City Administrator Andy Merriman explained the ordinance before council was an administrative requirement left over from the language in the state legislation that governs how CPW operates, specifically related to debt.
Council members Jay Arrowood, Karuiam Booker and Wryley Bettis voted against the measure. A second and final reading, expected in May, must be approved before the ordinance can take effect.
