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Panel approves bill letting park districts use cooperative purchasing via joint powers
Summary
House Bill 11-98 would clarify that park districts may participate in cooperative purchasing agreements under joint powers agreements without OMB having to execute every cooperative purchase; the committee recommended a do-pass.
Representative Jonathan Worry presented House Bill 11-98, a short bill clarifying that park districts may use cooperative purchasing contracts pursuant to a joint powers agreement. "This just clarifies the scope of duties that a local park district, how they can purchase," Worry told the committee, citing Sourcewell as an example where pre-bid contracts allow a park district to buy equipment through a regional cooperative arrangement.
Sherry Neese of the Office of Management and Budget testified in support, saying the bill "creates authority for park districts to participate in other types of cooperative purchasing agreement[s]." Neese told the committee OMB supports cooperative purchasing but is not staffed to execute cooperative-purchasing agreements for every political subdivision; the change makes clear multiple authorities exist for park districts to join cooperative contracts, including via joint powers agreements.
Cole Haglund, executive director of the Mandan Park District and public policy chair for the North Dakota Recreation and Park Association (NDRPA), said the change would give local park districts "better buying power" and make it easier to purchase equipment such as mowers and vehicles. Haglund said park boards still must approve participation through their own governance processes; a joint powers agreement requires board action and legal review.
Committee action: Senator Lee moved a do-pass recommendation on the engrossed bill, seconded by Senator Wallen; the committee vote was recorded as 6–0 in favor (Chair Roars, Vice Chair Castaneda, Senators Barta, Brownberger, Lee and Wallen voting aye). The bill was described in testimony as a clarifying, non-substantive fix to procurement authority for park districts, enabling cooperative purchasing while preserving local board oversight.
The bill was developed with input from park districts, OMB and North Dakota Parks and Recreation, and the sponsors thanked those stakeholders for working on the language.
