Highway department has its $1,000 spending limit lifted
The county’s Highway and Bridge Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to change the $1,000 discretionary spending limit set by the original highway department private act, citing major changes in the economy and the cost of doing business in the years since the legislation was enacted in 1949.
The $1,000 limit had generated a fair amount of controversy among local legislators since County Executive Kenneth Rogers sent Highway Superintendent Harold Glenn a letter late last month notifying him that the county was going to begin enforcing the $1,000 spending limit along with a section of the private act that requires the highway department to turn in a monthly report with a detailed account of all expenditures.
There was disagreement from the beginning between Rogers and Glenn on the exact interpretation of the regulation, with Glenn at one point threatening to shut down the highway department to avoid going over the $1,000 limit.
Rogers, on the other hand, pointed out the regulation actually stated the department could spend up to $1,000 without going through the county’s Purchasing Committee, and after that all Glenn would have to do was get approval for anything exceeding the limit, allowing him to run the department as usual.
Several solutions were discussed, including bidding out tires and fuel to exclude those items from the regulation, but eventually Highway and Bridge Committee members agreed the system could become too cumbersome as far as paperwork is concerned.
Highway and Bridge Committee chairman Gary Prater also agreed the act should be changed, but noted it would take some time to accomplish, since a change to a private act requires a two-thirds majority of the county commission and also had to be approved by Tennessee’s General Assembly.
“This is going to take some time,” Prater said. “We’ve got to get a resolution written. We’re going to have to do some more research. This is not going to happen anytime soon.”
“I guess what we want to understand is are you going to make an effort to do this as quick as possible?” Levie Glenn asked Prater.
“Oh yes, I think so,” Prater said, pointing out the highway department would still need to deal with the current regulations and go through the Purchasing Committee for the present. Rogers assured the road superintendent they would try to work with the department to make things as efficient as possible until the private act could be changed.