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East Point council presses for independent budget review as emergency procurement and procurement transparency draw debate
Summary
Council members pressed for an independent audit of the FY27 budget and debated whether emergency procurement that authorized a consultant breached transparency or single‑source norms; staff said emergency procurement rules allow action but encouraged competitive review where feasible.
Council discussion on June 8 centered on the FY2027 budget review and whether to authorize an outside, independent financial consultant.
Several council members said past budget drafts had inconsistencies and missing line items and urged an independent third party to reconcile revenues, reserves and enterprise fund forecasts before the council adopts the FY27 budget. Councilwoman Codwell and others asked for multiple qualified candidates, not a single‑source selection.
Procurement staff and the city manager said the council previously authorized an emergency procurement to obtain short‑term assistance and that, because of timing constraints related to the budget calendar, staff had begun discussions with consultants who could meet urgent deadlines. Staff noted emergency procurement rules in the municipal procurement code allow accelerated engagements when public welfare or other time‑sensitive needs exist and direct that ‘‘as much competition as practical’’ be used.
Council concerns and requested next steps: Council members asked for: (1) RFQ/RFP evaluation details, including scoring matrices and bidder lists; (2) whether vendor fees passed to residents could be capped or limited and how the city would avoid discriminatory selection of parcels for delinquent‑tax collection; and (3) that any independent consultant engaged to assist the council present findings publicly to the full council. Several council members requested the city manager obtain three candidates from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and circulate scoring documentation to council prior to award.
Nut graf: Council signaled urgency—members said they want a timely, independent review so they can approve a defensible FY27 budget — but differed on whether speed requires using a vendor already working with the city or whether the council should insist on a fresh third party to guarantee independence.
Staff response and procedure: Interim procurement staff reported an RFQ for delinquent tax collection had 79 document requests and three proposals; Government Tax Solutions (GTS) scored highest. Procurement said the city would present full scoring worksheets and procurement records at the next meeting. The city attorney advised that negotiated terms that affect bidder scoring (for example changing fees used in evaluation) require caution because they can create fairness issues under state procurement law.
Next steps: Council directed staff to place several procurement items on the next regular meeting agenda for formal vote and asked for detailed procurement documentation (RFQ release, advertisement list, evaluator names and compiled scores) as public records. Council also asked the city manager to solicit three qualified municipal finance consultants from GMA for possible council‑commissioned review.
