March 28, 2024

Supervisors to vote on joining purchasing group

After a few weeks of deliberation, it appears that the Jasper County Board of Supervisors has reached a final decision on joining the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.

Representatives from UCGPA originally asked the board to consider joining its organization on July 1. The board asked for a few weeks to discuss the matter with the county’s other elected officials and department heads before making a final decision.

According to UCGPA’s website, there are no costs or fees to participate, it gets the best purchase prices on essential government supplies and they deal with name brand and reputable vendors.

One of the representatives at the meeting did mention that by joining this organization, governing boards can forgo issuing an RFP agreement for purchases. RFP’s are the solicitation of bids that governing boards issue to show citizens it is looking to get the best deal for a purchase.

In a resolution in the board agenda, the supervisors laid out the reasons it felt as a board this was the right course of action for the county:

“The (UCGPA) contract contains pre-negotiated prices with several preferred vendors, which allows its members to alleviate the RFP (Request for Pricing) and bidding cycle, and purchase items at the lowest available price.

“We, at the Jasper County Board of Supervisors, feel that removing this process and using the (UCGPA) contract will provide enhanced savings to the taxpayers of Jasper County. We encourage all county entities to utilize this contract to its fullest extent.”

The resolution to join (UCGPA) won’t be official until the board votes to approve it at Tuesday’s meeting.

Jasper County Veteran’s Affairs Director Chris Chartier will deliver his annual report to the board on Tuesday. This report will be based on information from fiscal year 2013-2014 which ended on June 30.

According to his report, the county now has an estimated 3,100 veterans which is an increase from the previously estimated 3,000. His report also said that 461 new veterans began receiving services through his office increasing the number of vets served to 1,257. In FY 13, that figure was 804.

The report also highlights the partnership with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program to provide veterans rides which dropped his office’s transportation costs by more than 50 percent from the previous year.

Despite an increase in veterans served, the report indicates the VA’s budget shed 22 percent from costs and that the federal VA benefits for the county increased by $2.7 million.

In other business:

• Richard Phelps is on the agenda to discuss the county’s phone system.

• Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce Interim Executive Director Craig Light will formally request use of the Jasper County Courthouse lawn for Ridiculous Days on July 26.

• Jasper County Information Systems Network Administrator Ryan Eaton will ask the board to consider implementing a new software that deals with HIPPA. The cost is $4,800 annually.

• A resolution to cancel several unclaimed warrants will be voted on.

• Mike Herbold is requesting a fireworks permit.

Senior staff writer Ty Rushing may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 6532, or at trushing@newtondailynews.com.