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Task force presses Regional 1 and county staff to align purchasing rules and complete disparity study
Summary
Shelby County officials and staff debated whether Regional 1 can run separate procurement processes for private donations versus county funds; county administration said any expenditures paid with county funds must follow Shelby County purchasing guidelines and federal/state law, and the task force requested tighter alignment ahead of future disbursements.
Chief Administrative Officer Harold Collins told the task force he had conferred with legal counsel and that Regional 1 legal staff are awaiting the disparity study before finalizing procurement alignment. "My understanding is that that disparity study should be complete... probably possibly the first quarter of '25," Collins said when asked about timing.
Commissioners pushed back that funds already pledged by Shelby County impose county purchasing requirements on any expenditure the county will pay. Consultant Kim Brown told the panel: "Before any invoice is approved for any expenditure with the funds that Shelby County has given, it has to follow Shelby County's guidelines." Regional 1 representatives agreed the entity is a nonprofit and may accept private donations with donor conditions, but they acknowledged that federal, state and county funding carry overriding legal requirements. The task force directed staff and Regional 1 to finalize procurement policy alignment in advance of any invoice approvals tied to county funds and to return with clearer, side‑by‑side documentation of purchasing rules and disparity‑study findings.
