TRUMBULL COUNTY Janitorial supply bill drops by more than 95 percent

Commissioners are awaiting the results of an internal inventory.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Trumbull County has cut its janitorial supply bill by more than 95 percent since purchasing responsibilities were shifted out of the maintenance department.
For six weeks, county employees have managed to keep hallways clean and restrooms stocked while spending only $1,149 on additional supplies, about one-twentieth of the county's supply bill for August alone.
In August, when the maintenance department was still in charge of ordering, the county spent $22,359 on supplies. The maintenance department was stripped of that responsibility at the request of Prosecutor Dennis Watkins after a series of Vindicator articles beginning in early August uncovered sloppy record keeping and excessive spending in the department.
County commissioners declared a two-week moratorium on ordering supplies while employees drawn from other departments took an inventory of what the county already had in stock. The report on what they found is awaited.
"My understanding is that the report will be given to the prosecutor's office, and then commissioners will get a copy," said Commissioner Michael O'Brien.
What's been happening
For the past six weeks, county maintenance department, jail, juvenile justice center and vehicle maintenance department have made do with what is already in their storerooms and janitor's closets.
New purchases have been reserved for emergencies, said Roselyn Ferris, the county clerk-administrator, who has been placed in charge of ordering supplies.
"We had to order multifold paper towels and toilet paper," Ferris said. "I checked and we did need it, so I ordered it."
This time, instead of buying those items at possibly higher cost locally, they were ordered through the state purchasing program, Ferris said.
A few weeks ago, the jail and other departments were asked to provide lists of their monthly supply needs that had been purchased through the maintenance department.
Jail officials say they only need 20 to 25 cases of toilet paper a month, instead of the 30 to 32 cases the county's maintenance department had been ordering. Lists from other departments also appear to call for fewer supplies than in the past.
The state Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation is looking into county purchasing practices, as are two assistant prosecutors on Watkins' staff. The department also is being audited by the state auditor's office.
Watkins has said prices and amounts of items purchased by the maintenance department appear high.
Expensive spray cans
The prosecutor noted an Aug. 15 purchase of $488 worth of aerosol disinfectant from State Chemical of Cleveland, at a cost Watkins worked out to be $13.55 a can.
So far this year, State Chemical has billed Trumbull County for $7,760 worth of air fresheners, which works out to be between $7.58 and $10.83 per can.
A 2000 analysis by Tony Carson, the county's director of purchasing, found the county bought $13,411 worth of shop rags from Kinzua Environmental of Cleveland.
Even as The Vindicator repeatedly raised questions about the county's buying habits, new orders contributed to a record month for Envirochemical in August.
Envirochemical, also of Cleveland, billed the county $18,529 in August alone, Watkins noted. Envirochemical is one of several companies that sell toilet paper to the county.
Lid Chemical Inc., Tri-County Supply and Central Service & amp; Supply have been selling the county many of the same items, The Vindicator's investigation of records has revealed.
Several companies have been selling merchandise to the county at record levels for the past year and a half, Watkins has told the commissioners.
For example, State Chemical's 2002 sales to the county have already exceeded last year's total sales of $11,746 by nearly $7,000.
Watkins asked the commissioners to stop payment on a $2,120 bill from the company.
O'Brien has said he is looking into creating a central purchasing department. He would not say if Carson would be involved.
sinkovich@vindy.comsiff@vindy.com