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Working toward goals
Published Friday, October 30, 2009
Before he was elected, Mayor George Evans promised to find ways to cut expenses and make city government more cost-effective.
He inherited a mess. With the passage of the bond issue, city government has seen some daylight.
On Thursday the Selma City Council returned the 12.5 percent pay cut to city workers and themselves.
But key to this meeting was a proposal worked on by Evans and a committee to cut the wasteful spending of copy machines. Evans and his committee had examined the city’s usage of the machines. They called in Ricoh, a company based in Birmingham, which had a native son on board.
The representatives from Ricoh proposed a way to streamline the number of printers in the city and increase technology.
A study conducted by Ricoh showed the city had 115 printers and 42 different models in the city.
The city pays $2,600 for black and white printing, about $2,500 for color printing and outsources another $700.
Ricoh recommended 82 fewer devices, replacing them with multifunctional machines that will accomplish a variety of tasks.
The proposed contract also includes service and supplies.
The proposal: $3,681.
The cost savings per month: $2,400.
That’s good. That’s fulfilling a promise.
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Comments
Posted by Selma (anonymous) on November 2, 2009 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
First the City of Selma should support Selma's businesses. To contract with an outside business when there are small businesses in Selma that can do the job is not setting a good example. The saying "buy Selma first" should begin with the local government.
The above article quoted a proposal cost of $3681 but did not state if this cost was an annual expense of a monthly expense. However the saving cost was identified as a monthly expense. The article also gave expense for printer supplies but did not identify these costs as monthly or annual. For the record, could you please provide the additional information?
Having leased copy machines before, as well as purchased them there are several variables to be considered in the decision. While it is possible, I find it hard that a company some 90 miles away will accept a contract for an annual amount reported to include travel, servicing and supplies. I also understand the technique used by competing vendors to make their product more appealing.
This quote may be realistic for a monthly leasing quote, but then the question become what was the cost quoted by the local providers and what where the specifications identified in the bid package and the bid specs met by the quotes?
The local small business as well as this paper should not be applauding this decision, because based on our local economy, we need to employ as many local citizens, contract with as many local small businesses as possible, and shop Selma. Outsiders will take their money and employ persons living in their community, who will spend their money in their community. Selma loses all around including the possible lose of another local small business closing. Look at the big picture and hear the sucking sound of our tax dollars leaving Selma and not supporting our local small businesses.
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