Commission approves purchasing exception for sheriff; county to roll out short procurement trainings

The Sumner County Commission approved a purchasing exception for the sheriff’s office on June 5 after county purchasing staff reported that Sheriff Eric Craddock had taken corrective action.

“Mister Lund, would you like to speak?” the commission chair asked. Mister Lund, a county staff member in purchasing, told commissioners that “Eric, Sheriff Craddock has already done a corrective action. He's moved it to an employee that has more time and expertise. So I think it's been handled.”

Mister Lund recommended approving the exception and said the county plans short training sessions to reduce procurement errors. “We're planning to try to set up some short training classes. Once budget's done, I think we'll fix all the issues or at least help with it,” he said. He described a likely format as a short, in-person 20-minute session held once or twice a year in the conference room, recorded, and placed with the county’s ERP training documentation.

A commissioner asked whether the training would be in person or a video. Purchasing staff said the department expects to hold in-person sessions, record them, and make them available alongside existing ERP how-to materials on the county website.

The commission approved the purchasing exception on a motion; a voice vote carried the item. Purchasing staff said the corrective action and training plan were intended to reduce future procurement exceptions and improve staff familiarity with the county’s purchasing process.