On Monday Charlotte City Council unanimously approved a $250,000 contact to Mine Safety Appliances for the purchase of a SafeSite hazmat monitoring system.
As well as a contract for $300,000 to Hackney Emergency Vehicles for a hazmat response unit and a contract worth $150,000 to Incident Communications Solutions for the purchase of AgileMesh cameras and associated accessories.
The Charlotte Observer has quoted CFD and CMPD as saying: "The money will be used primarily to buy new units to help detect dangerous materials, as well as to create a hazmat response unit. Officials also will buy cameras to help with surveillance during the convention."
The council voted last year to give City Manager Curt Walton the power to authorize all DNC contracts without council approval.
But City Attorney Bob Hagemann said that designation does not extent to “sole-source” contracts like those used for the hazmat and camera gear.
“State law requires the City Council to approve a sole-source purchase so the previous delegation to the City Manager was not sufficient to cover these,” City Attorney Bob Hagemann said in an email.
Cedar's Take: It is understood that in some cases only a single source provides the needed product. However I'd bet my lunch that nationally there are more than just one provider of Hazmat Units, Closed Circuit Televisions Cameras and Detection Systems.
Tech Drawing of a HazMat unit is here.
29 comments:
Sounds rather prudent to me. I guess you'd rather see Woodies Car Care get the contract?
If Woodies Car Care could build the Hazmat truck to the same specs at a lower price then that is how the process is required to work.
Trouble with Charlotte is this like so many other contracts are done in back rooms at the good ole boy country club.
I have to laugh... Curt Walton and rodney monroe are scamming the citizens of Charlotte right under their noses and no one seems to care....!except when the money is GONE and taxes go up!
Walton and Monroe continue to fill their own coffers with contacts and who knows what else..
Good ole boy network, indeed.
Charlotte City Govt. and its subsiduaries (CMPD) are niw rotten to the very core!
9:57 so you're claiming that CMPD currently has no provisions for dealing with hazmat and therefore needs to drop $700K on no-bid contracts?
HAZMAT's CFD responsibility, not CMPD. Don't blame Webster for this one. This is CFD's play to get a new truck at Uncle Sam's expense...and there is nothing wrong with that. As for the procurement process, relax. They did it within city regs. People, lighten up.
Walton, and Council spend our money like it is ours. The wouldn't do it if it came out of their pockets.
If they try to claim there's some urgency because of DNC 2012 that can't be met with reasonable, fair competetive bid processes, that's also piss poor management by Walton and Council. They've been trying to get the conv. here. Now they're shwing the country their incompetence at our expense--and putting out hands for an emergency 9% tax increase, you know, for the Knights baseball and such.
It's all outrageous. They are laughing their asses off with themselves and their cronies reaping the benefits.
People need to wake up, take action with letters, protests, and legal action. Public fraud and corruption must be met with legal action to stop it.
These little bites of money spent at a time with no publicity from our mostly pathetic local press are the problem. Shameful.
Come on people, the DNC money is one big honey pot for Monroe and Walton and City Council.
There are NO BIDS on contracts, not really.....And if some are bidded out, the fix is already in...as who will "win" the bid is a foregone conclusion. It has nothing to do with the dollar amount of the bid, the quality of the company, the quality of the work, (see the "Yearbook fiasco" at CMPD), it just has to do with being a Friend of Rodney or a Friend of Curt.....
City government and CMPD cannot be trusted.....when public trust is so severely eroded no one can be believed.
And the local print and tv media seem to be unable or unwilling to honestly report on what is going on. They have no interest in investigating the widespread corruption, graft and rampant collusion going on in our "fair city".
The citizens and the media have thrown in the towel.
So many screwed up things going on at CMPD these days, Cedar.
Some new "promotions" announced......diversity promotions and "paybacks" for loyalty and helping to cover up crap promotions....
I heard from a friend in the media that there is one place at CMPD that has NO diversity....the office of the Watch Commander. Why isn't there an African American, a woman there?
She said she was told that the WC Office that used to be a training ground for newly promoted Captains has now become a place where people are sent that speak up and don't blindly agree just to advance. A dirty little secret rodney would like no one to know about.
She is planning on doing a story about it she said, should be interesting to see what she comes up with.
what about the requirement to justify single-source exception? what is wrong with these people? don't they care about breaking the rules?
in law, that's called illegal... public fraud... corruption...
have you asked for the documents showing the single-source justification from the city council members individually, as well as the clerk?
Anonymous 9:10,
Just for your information, the Watch Commanders Office is one of the best jobs in the department for a Captain. If I ever get promoted to that level (NOT) that is exactly where I would want to work. I know a Captain who is currently assigned there and is very happy. Not all is as it seems.
Anon 7:35
You are smoking something funny, for sure. I know why you won't ever be promoted to Captain!!
From what I am told, and I asked around the people I know at CMPD, , the guy you are probably referring to is an anomaly.
Maybe under Rodney it would seem a good place to hide from all the bullshit.
No captain in his right mind "wants" to work there from what I am told.....it is definitely a career killer place to be since Rodney Monroe took over.
Should be an interesting story.
Anon 8:53
Sure. Making $100K a year to answer a telephone and cruise the city is real tough. Throw me in the briar patch!
how many have been promoted out of Watch Commander to higher positions vs. other Captains?
What are salary comparisons?
What are hours?
Watch Commanders are forced to cover for each others vacation times and other off time for other Watch Commanders. There's no requirement like that for "regular" Captains.
Having to work overnight if it's not your choice is very hard on a peron's system and family life. If you are forced in there as punishment for not going along with RoMo's bad tidings, mission accomplished. Do a blind survey to ask all Watch Commanders if they asked to be in there, and what in there opinion are the good and bad issues. Ask them if they feel they were punished by being put there. An outside party needs to be made available to all officers to speak freely. A lawyer hired by the FOP to hear proper complaints and have lawyer-client confidentiality, not the usual crap from the city.
Anon 4:30
I don't know who is making 100,000k...
I think intelligent, thinking, QUALIFIED Captains want more from the job than, as you said, "cruising the city and answering the phone".
If that is all you want, if that is what you think is a challenge and a career, have at it!
But to be forced there, and to have NO opportunities for advancement, no input, that is not why most people become Captains.
And as someone said, if it is such a great "assignment"' where are the people lined up to go there???? And where is the "diversity" in the WC "office"? And how many people "get out" if they don't kiss MAJOR ass?
How many times has Rodney been to the WC "office" to say...Job Well Done!!??
Maybe Gallant, Graue and Harold need to do some "time" there if it is such a great "gig"????
So take your bullshit somewhere else, Dooood. Or Rob!!
It will be SO interesting to see where the newly "promoted" will be assigned.
Let's see where the "new Captains" go.....will they go to the WC to get some experience? Or will they go directly to a Division? Will they get "extra" mentoring?
Did Chris Miller, the Captain who was Number One on the promotion list ever get promoted? Or did "diversity" take precedence over qualifications and hard work once again?
Will any of the Captains in the WC get "new" assignments? Or will the brand new Captains continue to be assigned over Captains with huge experience?
Are there really ANY "Processes" any more for transfers or assignments at CMPD? Are new assignments opened up for anyone that woud like to apply in a fair and equitable way? Are the openings posted anywhere?
Hell no, Rodney simply puts whomever he wants wherever he wants...so you know exactly what that means...diversity, folks....with the occasional token middle aged white guy thrown in to make it look not quite so one sided. But that white guy will definitely be one of the butt smoochers that has put his own advancement over the good of the organization.
It really is SO stupid and predictable.
But if you are willing to cede all of your integrity and honesty and ethics, you, too, can be somebody at Rodney's CMPD!
again, request and analyze all the salary and promotion records for those in the Watch Command position--current or previously--and the answers will be there.
then, apply lawsuit.
ONLY whining about this stuff here does no good. Giving information to someone that can do something about it will. HR, an attorney, press that will actually publish, who are not under rodney's thumb (for reasons I still don't understand--what is he doing for them? or to them?)
this city doesn't understand anything else except when pushed all the way to a lawsuit. they are incapable of decent behavior without a lawsuit forcing them to, then whine about having to increasing the budget to account for lawyers' salaries and other expenses.
I hope like hell someone is really going to do a story and blow the whistle on what is going on in the WC and every other corrupt corner of CMPD under Monroe.
Surely an articulate member of the CMPD will be willing to speak to the national press about all the corruption there during the DNC?!
I think a few have 'connections'. And I hear more than a few have info that would make GREAT copy during the convention!!
And back stories are always great copy! What a good
time to stand up and be counted, huh?
Just the kind of national publicity CMPD needs, huh?
But they are too stupid to even recognize the damaging info that is out there, geez!
Anon 10:42
Stupidity or sociopathic arrogance?
both.
and there are stories that involve CMPD, Mayor and City Council that will be coming out just in time for DNC 2012 and next election.
these people are really low.
brutality may overcome truth for awhile, but it usually comes out.
There are so many disturbing rumors nowadays at CMPD.
So many stories of corruption, double dealing, back stabbing.
The latest is about a certain DC who seems to love to hit on younger female Officers.......any guesses?
It is really going to take years to bring back integrity. To not be embarassed to be a member of CMPD.
doesn't help that monroe manages to get selvey, murray, and council to cover up IA complaints and even arrests for what he's doing or his officers, then uses the same crew to attack those trying to blow the whistle on his actions.
the truth will come out under oath and subpoena
From what I hear.... It is amazing how
many IA complaints are NOT taken, are shitcanned before they get in the door. And monroe gets away with it.
IA - USELESS APPENDAGE. Rodney controls every aspect of IA!
Rodney has turned the WC into the "dunce hat corner" that it is now.
There is not enough room there to accomodate all the disgruntled Captains out there....
More will "crack".
yes, they are dumping complaints. Why care about those civil rights any more than the rest? Walton & Council have been told he's doing it, but are letting him. So they'll be in court with him when the time comes. right before DNC2012 seems like the best time, so soon, right? good for Charlotte
God. You people are such whiners!
Your usual one-liner won't cut it on the stand. Enjoy yourself now.
Anon 8:11
Hi Rob!
You keep trying on here, don't you?
But, honestly, your whining about "whiners" does get tiresome.
You think you are a clever boy, so come up with some clever repartee.
a clever boy wouldn't sweat so much on camera. can't wait 'til he's under oath. he and his friends will be hot this summer in the courtroom. sad.
all of them, was there a tipping point? anyone ever honest? hope everyone got paid well and saved up.
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