Muskego Common Council Approves Changes to City's Purchasing Policy

The Tuesday night voted 5-2 in favor of adopting changes to the city’s purchasing policy.

The proposed changes, which Mayor Kathy Chiaverotti and Finance/Administration Director Sharon Mueller said were largely inspired by the purchasing policies of Brookfield, Oak Creek, and other similar communities, are designed to further empower department heads and make the process more practical and efficient.

Earlier in the evening, the proposed changes were approved 3-0 by the Finance Committee, with Alderman Keith Werner, who serves on the committee, saying  to Mueller, “I’m comfortable with the research you did and the methodology behind it.” Werner also stated that he believes city staff have the best interests of the city in mind and trusts their judgment.

But Alderman Dan Soltysiak and Kert Harenda had reservations on the policy changes when they came before the Council later on in the evening.

Soltysiak said he wasn’t sure there was anything wrong with the current policy, stating that, at most, if anything, the current policy could use some minor tweaking, but that was about it. He expressed concern that the changes being proposed would take a lot of the Common Council’s oversight away and hence reduce transparency.

Alderman Noah Fiedler, who also serves on the Finance Committee, said the changes would result in less paper shuffling, more service by staff, and greater efficiency overall. He equated the changes to running government more like a business.

But Harenda, who echoed Soltysiak’s concerns that the Council’s oversight would be diminished, cautioned that “…this isn’t a private business, this is public money…”

In regards to government transparency, Werner said, “I don’t know that government can be more open than what it is today.”

Alderman Tracy Snead concurred with Werner, and also mentioned the role of the city’s Web site in ensuring transparency.

Alderman Neome Schaumberg, who serves on the Finance Committee, agreed, arguing that city staff aren’t going to make “stupid decisions - not if they want to keep their jobs.”

Snead, in countering Soltysiak’s and Harenda’s arguments, said, “The bottom line is the buck stops here. That’s the bottom line.”

In the end, Soltysiak and Harenda opposed the changes, with Alderman Neil Borgman stating that he reluctantly approved.