KALAMAZOO (WKZO) — The Kalamazoo County Board is once again grappling with the issue of how to keep the millions it spends on construction and goods and services every year from escaping Kalamazoo County.
A strict low-bid contract policy may save the county money, but it doesn’t do he local economy any good if its with a South Bend or Grand Rapids firm.
A few years the Commissioners debated a local preference policy but it never got off the ground.
Commissioner Kevin Wordleman says he is proposing something different. It would encourage successful bidders to hire locally and begin apprentice programs, and give contracts to those that do.
Opponents say it will just increase the cost of doing business, that’s if anyone bids at all. It will be kicked around for the next few meetings, and a public hearing is tentatively set for early June.
