WARREN City considers bidding online

The city would pay $700 per year to use the service.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Mayor Hank Angelo wants to take the city's competitive bidding online.
Angelo, Councilman John Homlitas, D-3rd, and other city officials heard a presentation this month from LightGov, a nearly 4-year-old technology company based in Boardman and owned by David Engler, a former Mahoning County commissioner.
"The best way to describe it is a government e-bay," Angelo said, referring to the popular online auction site.
For $700 per year, the city would contract with the company to buy and sell equipment online. LightGov charges 7.25 percent commission on items sold using its service.
Would notify vendors
Angelo said vendors used by the city would be notified.
The city would post the equipment it wants to buy and the amount it wants to spend. Companies then could try to outbid one another to get the business.
To sell surplus items, the city would post a reserve amount at which it hopes to sell an item and entities interested could try to offer the best price.
The online selling service could be used in place of or in conjunction with regular auctions already conducted. Pictures and equipment descriptions of what's available also are posted on the site.
"We even talked about selling Nature's Blend on there," Angelo said.
Nature's Blend, made from processed municipal waste, is approved as a fertilizer in 20 states.
Would be first
Angelo said the service could be used to buy equipment, supplies and chemicals. Warren would be the first Ohio city to use the service.
"It's a more effective and efficient way to acquire equipment and services and to dispense with unneeded equipment," Homlitas said.
Council must approve the procurement method used by LightGov, and Angelo hopes that legislation is ready for council's next meeting Nov. 12.
LightGov has secured contracts with several Ohio counties and in May earned an endorsement from the County Commissioners Association of Ohio.
"It looks very positive for the city," Angelo said.
Earlier this year, Mahoning County commissioners were criticized after announcing that they planned to contract with Engler's company for the county's first recycling drive for electronic office equipment.
Critics contend the company was getting the business because of Engler's position as a former commissioner.
County officials denied that and sought price quotes from other vendors. A Niles company submitted the lowest bid and was awarded the contract.
The Youngstown Clerk of Courts Office contracted with the company to track down people who haven't paid parking tickets. The office can prevent people from renewing driver's licenses or plates until tickets are paid.
The clerk's office collected more than three times the amount in parking fines in one month with LightGov than it had in the same month the previous year.