Middletown council adopts new procurement ordinance after lengthy debate and amendments

The Middletown Common Council on Sept. 16 adopted a substantially revised Procurement, Accountability and Compliance Ordinance aimed at tightening oversight of multi‑year contracts, procurement definitions and reporting requirements.

Attorney Steven Mednick, who prepared a report and drafted the ordinance language, told the council that the measure embeds the long‑standing legal principle that “the council holds the primary authority to approve and authorize contracts on behalf of the municipality,” and lays out definitions, a three‑quote due‑diligence standard, and thresholds that require council approval for multi‑year contracts with aggregate values over $100,000. Mednick said the ordinance also creates administrative sign‑off procedures for one‑year contracts and exemptions for contracts under $10,000.

The presentation drew detailed questioning from council members about implementation and workload. Councilman Steven Kovac and others pressed whether the purchasing office, which Mednick noted has two staff, could handle new review responsibilities and whether certain duties would trigger union or impact bargaining. Mednick replied that the director of finance and the supervisor of purchasing would be central to enforcing encumbrance and requisition rules and that the ordinance intentionally embeds those requirements.

A letter from multiple department directors — including Fire Chief David Albert and Police Chief Eric Acosta — was read into the record expressing concern that the proposed requirement to move an item to a formal RFP if three quotes cannot be obtained could delay routine contracts for months, strain understaffed departments and shrink vendor pools. The directors wrote that the draft "will make it more difficult for us to continue to provide the high quality, timely service we pride ourselves on" and urged further committee review and collaboration with department staff.

Council members debated the tension between stronger public accountability and practical operational capacity. Councilwoman Jeanette Blackwell, chair of the Government, Contracts and Compliance committee, said the ordinance aims to prevent favoritism and ensure compliance with Connecticut law. Councilman Vincent Lofredo, referencing Mednick's original report, said the draft addresses the specific irregularities that prompted the council review.

On the floor, councilors accepted a package of line edits and structural changes submitted by the purchasing supervisor (typo fixes, title clarifications and reordering of several sections). That amendment passed on a roll‑call vote with 10 in favor and one abstention. The full ordinance, as amended, then passed by roll call, 9 ayes to 2 nays (Councilmen Darnell Ford and Steven Kovac voted no).

Council members emphasized that the ordinance will be revisited after implementation. Mednick and council leadership said they expect periodic (quarterly) reviews to address unforeseen issues and to adopt errata or amendments as needed.

Separately, a resolution related to RWK Enterprises LLC remained on the agenda but was not acted on at the meeting after members raised a procedural error (the item lacked sponsors on the published agenda); the council agreed to take no action that night.

The ordinance takes effect as adopted by the council; councilors said follow‑up administrative protocols and monthly/quarterly checks will be used to monitor implementation and to consider any technical fixes.

The council adjourned after the votes.