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Residents object to council member'linked vendor; council approves temporary authorization
Summary
Residents told the Centerton City Council they were troubled by a resolution that listed a council member as a vendor representative; the council heard concerns, the council member said the account is now managed out of state and promised transparency, and the measure passed with provisions for disclosure and abstention options.
Centerton City residents raised ethics and transparency concerns during public comment Monday over Resolution 2024-27, a measure that would allow a medical-supply account tied to a council member to remain on the company's books until the company realigns accounts in January.
Cindy Zoomin, who gave her address as 230 Town View, said she reviewed the interview recordings for the council position and found no disclosure of the business relationship. "It may be legal but not everything that is legal is ethical," she said, urging the council to take the "high road." Wendy Henson said the delay until Jan. 1 was unacceptable and called for immediate action to restore public trust.
Council member Cliff Thompson addressed the council and residents, saying he had stepped away from sales activity since the prior meeting and that the account is being managed by a representative in Oklahoma. "The account is currently being managed by the rep from Oklahoma," Thompson said. "I've been hands off since the last meeting and intend to be that way the rest of the year."
City staff and the fire department said they competitively solicit medical supplies and will continue to seek the lowest price for residents. Councilmembers discussed adding transparency measures: Thompson offered to attach receipts for purchases from the vendor to his council report so purchases would be publicly visible while the account is reassigned.
After discussion, the council voted to adopt Resolution 2024-27 with the current account assignment to the company remaining in place until the company's internal reassignment, and with members reminded of abstention options when they have potential conflicts. The council recorded the motion and carried the item by roll call.
The council framed the action as administrative: the company retains the account until it formally realigns assignments, and the city will continue routine competitive procurement for medical supplies. Thompson said he would not participate in related decisions once the account is formally reassigned, and he apologized that the relationship was not disclosed during his selection process.
Next steps: the city will continue to process medical-supply purchases through standard purchasing channels; Thompson said he will provide receipts to the council report for transparency during the transition. The council did not make additional changes to procurement policy at this meeting.
