Is a multi-faceted Jefferson City ordinance to clarify the selection of bids or professional services really necessary?
We're not convinced.
The ordinance is a reaction to a botched selection process involving the council recently.
But a number of council members, city staff, this newspaper and even the local firm selected as a substitute recognized an inappropriate procedure.
In the end, the substitution was reversed, the city's selection committee recommendation was upheld and the system worked.
Now, in an effort to prevent a recurrence, an ordinance has been drafted to codify common sense.
Proposed provisions include:
• "All members of the selection committee must be in attendance for all meetings." At least one alternate member would be available to replace any member who misses a meeting and, consequently, is ineligible to continue.
• A "soft local preference" would favor a local applicant if other factors, score and criteria are equal.
• One bidder cannot be substituted for another, unless the bidder's price is substituted, as well.
• Bidders or applicants are prohibited from lobbying the mayor or council members.
Most of these provisions already are laws or common-sense procedures followed by elected officials, including city council members, for years.
We understand and appreciate the desire among city officials to avoid repeating recent missteps.
People - including elected officials - are human; we make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from those mistakes.
In the recent episode, the mistakes were recognized and corrected before final action was taken.
We find little value in another law repeating the obvious.