Selectmen accept fire-department donation; procurement procedure questioned

The Rangeley selectmen on Jan. 6 accepted a donation to the fire department toward a new machine and approved disposal of an older unit, but public commenters pressed the board for more documentation of the procurement process and additional quotes.

A motion "to accept the donation" and to dispose of the 2002 Polaris was made by Sam and seconded by Ethan; the board voted in favor during the meeting. "The vote in favor, and we're all in the same," the chair said after the roll call.

During public comment, a speaker raised concerns that the purchase did not appear to follow the town's purchasing policy because it relied on a single quote and that one of the dealers was affiliated with a board member's employer. "It makes it seem… imperative that action not be taken that can give the wrong impression to stakeholders regarding the fairness of the process," the speaker said, urging the board to seek additional quotes to maintain transparency.

Board members asked staff whether other dealers had been contacted. Joe said the department had provided quotes and compared recent purchases; he said a similar machine previously purchased by the sewer department was more expensive, and that the quoted price before the board was substantially lower. Board members said the circumstances created an appearance issue and asked that the file include competing quotes and supporting paperwork.

While the donation and disposal motions were adopted during the meeting, the board agreed to return the item at its next meeting with the additional quotes and paperwork attached. "Alright. We'll wait till our next meeting where we can attach all the proper paperwork and the other quotes from dealers," one board member said.

Next steps: staff will assemble and attach competing quotes and procurement documentation to the file for the board's next meeting; the board will re-review the procurement paperwork at that meeting.