Rebidding of contracts would have cleared the air

It’s mind-boggling to say the least.

Last week, a majority of city councilmembers refused to seek new bids for work being done by three city contractors whose invoices were recently the subject of a financial review.

The review, performed by a financial auditing company, revealed some problems. One contract, for ADR, which provides IT support, didn’t even have a contract with the city.

The results didn’t suggest anything illegal going on, but it did raise an issue of whether the city is receiving correct billing.

Acting City Manager Kyle Tertzag suggested rebidding the work, but in so doing the companies currently hired by the city would also be welcomed to submit their bids.

Tertzag said the rebidding is needed to clear the air and dispel any notions of impropriety.

That was the fair and prudent thing to do. But not for certain councilmembers. We heard all sorts of excuses, and they all rang hollow.

Hamtramck’s taxpayers deserve to get the best bang for their bucks. Our city council has let all of us down.

Instead of erring on the side of caution, the council has shown it doesn’t care what kind of services the public pays for.