County officials are looking at the implementation of a purchase order system as a means to track spending in 2012. During Monday's meeting of the Quorum Court's Finance Committee, members discussed the proposed plan, to mixed reactions from elected officials present.
The county office of financial management plans to initiate the use of purchase orders with only the roads and landfill departments at first, since both of those departments have funds available in the budget and are likely to make heavy equipment related purchases. A trial period of 90 days was discussed, after which the committee would re-evaluate the successes and problems of the system and discuss its further use. According to the proposal, departments under the purchase order system would be required to attain a purchase order for every dollar spent, from small office supply purchases up to large equipment and repairs.
County Assessor Harley Bradley expressed concern over the matter, saying that it would slow down his office's efficiency to request purchase orders so frequently.
"In our office, nothing gets purchased without my consent, and I can say the same for the collector's office. The budget numbers prove that we've tightened our belts, and I think, as elected officials, we've done a good job of controlling spending. I'm the elected official, and I don't want to have to explain to someone every time I need a new printer cartridge or something small," said Bradley, who later suggested that a price cap be set so that purchase orders are only required for spending above a certain amount.
County Judge Randy Carney and Justice Michael White both said the purchase order system which tracks all spending, big and small, will help protect the office of financial management from surprises, and allow them to know exactly how much in bills they will be expected to pay in any given month ahead of time.
Justice Bill Nelson also expressed his support for the idea.
"I say let's give it a try," he said. "We need to find a way to ensure that our spending in any given month does not exceed what we have in the bank."
The judge and Finance Committee members agreed to discuss the possibility of a spending cap for the purchase order system, and plan to implement the plan in February, then re-evaluate in the spring.
According to a report by County Treasurer Peggy Meatte, tax settlement funds in the amount of $664,000 will be coming in shortly, but a large portion of that has already been paid out in bills. The county is expected to have a very lean first few months of the new year, before collections from the new millage tax increase kick in.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com