Trumbull County's sheriff has some explaining to do

We expect more than a bureaucratic "oops" from Trumbull County Sheriff Thomas Altiere in reaction to the skyrocketing increase in the amount being paid for prescription drugs for jail inmates. In 1999, the drug bill was $3,561; in 2000, it was $25,000; and this year, the bill was a whopping $56,000. But guess what? Altiere told county commissioners in May 2000 that there was no need to seek competitive bids because the 1999 tab was so low.
State law requires bidding when purchases cost more than $15,000. At what point did the sheriff find out in 2000 that the bill had surpassed the previous year's $3,561? And why didn't Altiere ask the commissioners to seek competitive bids for this year after seeing what occurred in 2000?
Those are just two of the questions that must be answered fully by the sheriff. It isn't enough for him to say, "I didn't think we needed" to seek bids.
Indeed, on May 4, 2000, the commissioners rejected a proposal from Institutional Prescription Services Inc., 1400 Tod Avenue, Warren, to provide drugs for the inmates. Institutional Prescriptions was the lone bidder. Instead, the county brought prescription drugs mainly from Secure Rx Pharmacy, Franklin, Tenn., and from Institutional Prescription.
No explanation: Now, however, Altiere has realized that something must be done to lower the cost, and he says the county will seek bids. But that does not address the issue of why no bids were sought for 2001. Neither the sheriff nor commissioners Joseph Angelo, Michael O'Brien and James Tsagaris had an explanation for this apparent violation of state law.
If the sheriff used the 1999 figure to conclude that no bidding was required for 2000, why didn't he then use the 2000 figure to conclude that bids were needed for 2001? After all, he could tell, by the cost and the number of inmates being served, that things weren't going to get better.
In 1999, 6,469 prisoners were booked into the jail. However, in 2000, the number of inmates had dropped to 5,797.
In addition, the sheriff's department was forced to cover the cost of drugs used to treat mental conditions after voters defeated a levy to support the Trumbull County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board. The defeat resulted in the agency's budget being decreased.
We have long argued that government at all levels should seek competitive bids -- even when the law doesn't require them -- because decision-makers have a responsibility to ensure that taxpayers are getting their money's worth.
There's no telling how much Trumbull County could have saved had the sheriff asked the commissioners to seek bids for prescription drugs for jail inmates.