Corbin City Commission discusses changes to bidding process

The number of competitive bids coming in for goods and services for the City of Corbin has declined and, at the city commission’s quarterly work session Monday, Commissioner Trent Knuckles questioned why that was so and what may be done to increase those numbers.

“Maybe we need to look at coming up with some formalized procedures on how we seek bids for things,” Knuckles said while the requests for bids were being advertised in local newspapers are required by law, they were not listed on the city’s social media or website.

“You ought to have it there, you think?” Knuckles asked.

Knuckles noted the city had requested bids for the installation of lights at Rotary Park, and also recently requested bids from certified public accountants interested in performing the audit services for the city.

Each request resulted in a single bid.

“All these CPA’s around here, it would be pretty lucrative,” Knuckles said of performing the required audits.

In addition, Knuckles noted that the city recently purchased a used leaf truck. A single bid met the specifications set forth in the request for bid.

“In the whole United States there has got to be more than one used leaf truck,” Knuckles said.

“I just wonder if we are being super specific in our bid specs where maybe we don’t need to be or if we are not getting out there. Maybe there are more ways you can get your bids out there so we can get more bids. Is that possible?”

City Manager Marlon Sams said the number of bids received depended on what was being requested.

“You get some bids for some things, and some things you don’t,” Sams said.

“I do think it would be a good idea to put it on social media, and on our website,” Mayor Suzie Razmus said.

The commission is scheduled to hold its regular monthly meeting at 5 p.m. Monday.

In other business Monday the commission:

• Heard from Mike Godsey and Delane Bunch concerning maintenance issues with the road on which they live.

The road to which they spoke off is off of East Woodland Acres.

“We are in the city limits. We had ourselves put in the city,” Bunch said.

City Manager Marlon Sams disagreed.

“It is not a county road, or a city road. It is a driveway,” Sams said.

Bunch said during a severe snowstorm several years ago, city workers plowed the road in order to permit emergency personnel to access it.

City Attorney Bob Hammons said in order for the city to do anything, it would have to be adopted into the city road system through the passing of an ordinance.

Razmus asked Sams to have a cost estimate done to see how much it would be to blacktop the road.

“I think that is the first thing to do,” Razmus said.

• Approved the second reading of the ordinance amending the city’s smoking ordinance prohibiting electronic smoking devices in public places.
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance expanding the city’s tree board from three to five members.