Finance Committee — 01/19/2022 Page 7
Alderman Klee
Thank you. | just want to clarify that one of the things is if it is a CERF item, that’s approved separately. The CERF
account is items are approved individually. They’re very specific as to what it is. By the time we purchase it, it may
change a little bit but basically what it is we’re going to buy. If we don’t expend that money, it stays within that account. It
doesn't go back to the taxpayers. Nothing else happens to it. It stays within that particular account.
As far as the budget is concerned when we go through the budget process, you'll see that each department comes
forward, says what they need their money for. They usually give you a basic outline as to what they intend on buying and
spending throughout that year. Then a budget gets approved, or it gets amended, or something like that. So when they
come forward and they ask for something that they did budget for and we say is it within your budget — in this particular
case because it usually is — and we say no to them, it may be because we think that they could do something a little bit
better. Maybe they should do a trade in or sometimes that’s one of the questions that gets asked. If you just say no
because you want the money to go back to the taxpayers, you could be handicapping the city. So | don’t think we should
just say yes to everything but make sure that you understand what the ramifications and you can ask that question. If we
don’t purchase this, what is the alternative as long as you kind of weigh both sides?
Alderman Comeau
So we could in theory — again this is hypothetical just because this is our first meeting — we could in theory approve of the
idea of the School Department buying a piece of equipment and not necessarily agree with this specific purchase and say
we think you could find a similar piece of equipment for less money, or a better deal with better service contract, or
something like that, and deny this particular one and say come back to us with a better offer and we'll approve it?
Mayor Donchess
| think that would be possible, yes.
Alderman Klee
| just want to make a clarification. Having been on this Committee, one of the things that often times they will come to us
and they’ll say they need this. If we say you can get a better contract or look a little bit better, we literally could be putting
them at a handicap. So for instance when the Fire Department came for the trucks that they needed if we had sent them
back to go looking for it, we would have lost the deal that we had. Because we’re in the period of COVID and everything
is happening, prices are going up. You really have to think really hard. Unless you’re an expert at it and you really know
but | have seen where people have said can we look at an electric version of this. In the general scheme of things, those
are particular things. | just want to be very cautious that we just don’t say no and send everybody back to doing more
work when it could end up costing the city more in the end.
Alderwoman Timmons
Yes | have a question regarding this piece of equipment. One is that prior to coming to the Board of Aldermen, it was also
approved by the Board of Education, right?
Mayor Donchess
Correct.
Alderwoman Timmons
Okay. So therefore it was vetted at that particular time. Is that correct?
Mayor Donchess
| believe that’s correct. So you went to the Board of Ed. With this, right Mr. Smith? Yeah, right. So this was approved by
the Board of Ed.
Alderwoman Timmons
And that’s why | recognize it and that’s why I’m going to vote for it because | know it came up before and | know the
reputation of Mr. Smith as well. | know it’s been vetted already.
