By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – Normal’s city manager is defending the town’s purchasing policies, while a council member is speaking in support of the city clerk.
Tensions mounted at Monday night’s town council meeting on measures that used to be considered routine.
Stan Nord asked City Manager Pam Reece whether the town was trying to get the best price for street sign purchases.
“We need to ensure that for the taxpayers, we are getting competitive quotes, that we are not purchasing because we favor one vendor over another,” Nord said.
Reece responded, “I have told you that we are following the procurement policy. You have asked me, and I have said yes we are, and I’ve said that numerous times.”
Nord and the other council newcomer Karyn Smith complained that minutes from council meetings leave out key items. Nord said it’s wrong to rewrite history.
Council member Kathleen Lorenz came to the defense of City Clerk Angie Huonker who takes the minutes.
“I think we need to be very careful not to suggest that she is rewriting history in any way. I believe she is a very credentialed person in her role,” Lorenz said.
Nord and Smith were the only members voting to change the minutes from the last meeting.
Mayor Chris Koos noted all meetings can be seen on the town government’s YouTube channel.
“The actual meeting itself is captured on video and archived so anybody can look at that material to get as much or as little information as they want about the meeting,” said Koos.
“It’s all right there on video,” Koos said.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]
