WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:37 — 7.0MB)
It took the Bloomington city council less than twenty minutes last night to make our town one of only two Indiana cities to enact responsible bidder laws. After extensive discussion at last week’s session, the council voted unanimously to amend city code with new provisions to make sure taxpayer-funded projects are done by ethical contractors and not just the cheapest ones. Under Indiana state law, the city is required to solicit bids for all construction projects above 150 thousand dollars. After bids are submitted, the city is required to select the lowest bidder for any contracts, with a couple of exceptions, including if the bidder is deemed “not responsible”. Assistant City Attorney Mike Rouker helped the council more clearly define what it means to be a responsible contractor and create transparency in the bidding process for both contractors and city officials. We’ll also hear public support from local labor leader Tom Szymanski, and city councilman Andy Ruff explains why HE voted yes, after Rouker runs us through the details of Bloomington’s new Responsible Bidder Ordinance in a compilation of highlights from both last night’s vote AND last week’s discussion.
