Board of Selectmen at an Impasse over Bidding Process

In a split 2-2 vote Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen declined to pass a measure that would have altered the bidding process to give preference to local businesses and Canton residents owning out-of-town businesses. The provision would have allowed preference to those candidates by granting them the opportunity to match the lowest bid within 10 percent.

Selectmen Marc Cerniglia and David Gilchrist voted against the measure out of concern that it would do more harm than good in the long run.

“The whole purpose of the competitive bid process is to drive prices lower,” Cerniglia said. “This policy would discourage bidding and we could end up with higher prices.”

In addition, Cerniglia said that people would try to “game” the system by bidding slightly higher than they normally would in hopes of keeping within the 10 percent threshold instead of submitting their lowest possible bid.

“It seems like a good idea, but it flies in the face of the competitive bid process,” Cerniglia said. “It tries to fix something that is unbroken.”

First Selectman Richard Barlow and Selectman Stephen Roberto voted in favor of the change, arguing that the town needed to do more to foster business in town.

“The policy change may not be significant, but it sets the tone that we want to encourage local businesses and that we want businesses to come to town,” Barlow said.

Chief Administrative Officer Bob Skinner replied that he was skeptical of whether the proposed measure achieved that goal by containing a provision giving preference to Canton residents who own businesses outside of town.

A separate measure that removed the preference for town-based bidders who own businesses located elsewhere also failed to pass in a 2-2 vote.

Selectman Bruce Lockwood did not attend the meeting, which was held at the Canton Community Center.

In other business, the board discussed several residents’ concerns about a proposed traffic change by the town of Burlington that would turn Claire Hill Road from two-way into one-way.

Several residents on Church Street expressed their worries that the change would increase traffic on that road, while one resident of Dunn Avenue said that he would only be able to access his driveway by driving a circuitous route through Burlington if the change were implemented.

The board took no official action, but authorized that Skinner write a letter to the Burlington Board of Selectmen that would: detail the impact the change would have on Collinsville residents; request that a traffic engineer examine the issue detailing the kind of signage and markings the road would need; and give Canton officials 60 to 90 days’ notice if the change was approved.