Looking for deals

By JOHN McCALLUM

Editor

The Cheney City Council approved a pair of resolutions at its June 14 meeting that in one case saved the city money on a Light Department purchase, and in the other may save money down the road.

The council approved a $36,864 contract with Anixter, Inc. for purchasing various sized electrical wire for future use. Anixter was one of two companies submitting bids and the lowest by just over $4,000, but was significantly lower than what the city would have paid, had it bought wire via the state bid process.

Light Department Director Steve Boorman said historically the city has purchased its wire through the state contract. This year, Cheney looked at its needs and decided putting the annual wire order out for multiple bids would be the better course of action.

“The short answer is we came out about $22,000 under the state (bid),” Boorman told the council.

According to information given to the council, the state’s price for the city’s electrical wire needs came to $59,526, giving Cheney a savings of $22,662 by using Anixter.

The council also gave its unanimous authorization to the city to pursue applying to the U.S. government for the ability to purchase vehicles and equipment off the federal surplus property program. Boorman said approval of the application gets the city into the federal system where normal purchasing processes would be followed. Being part of the program would give Cheney first crack at buying surplus federal property.

The council also approved entering into a non-exclusive contract with OK Electric, giving the city the ability to use the contractor for small jobs, but also other contractors as well. Per the contract, the city would be charged $160 per hour for labor on standard work, or $240 an hour for work with less than 24 hour notice or less than eight hours in duration. Materials are charged at cost plus 50 percent up to $1,000, cost plus 40 percent from $1,001 – $5,000, and cost plus 30 percent for $5,001 and above.

A $13,455 contract with McFarland Cascade for purchase of a laminated pole to be used in the Murphy and Betz roads line relocation project was tabled by the council. In an email, Boorman said the reason was that when the pole was ordered it was quoted with a four-week lead time, a lead time that increased to over two months once the project’s final drawings were approved.

“Which didn’t work for the road project,” Boorman wrote. “So, we will install a standard guyed structure. Won’t be as elegant and will take about another 18 inches of right of way but meets the schedule.”

Finally, the council approved an annual $1,700, 60-month lease off the state contract of a Pitney Bowes DM400C Digital Mailing System for the city’s Finance Department. Finance Director Cindy Niemeier told the council the city’s current postage machine lease had expired, and that the $500 more than the budgeted amount was due to the Pitney Bowes being a new machine.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].