Commissioners approve new vehicle purchases
The Putnam County Commissioners approved the purchase of four new vehicles for the sheriff's department at their meeting Monday night.
The department will purchase three new Crown Victorias at $35,000 each and a Ford F250 pick-up truck, priced at $42,000. The vehicles will be paid for out of the sheriff's department asset forfeiture fund.
In other business, Tricia Wray of the Auto Zone regional office in Indianapolis gave a presentation on her company's U.S. Communities program. Wray described U.S. Communities as a nationwide strategic sourcing program designed by public purchasing professionals for use by local and state government agencies, school districts, higher education and nonprofit organizations.
The program entitles participants to deep discounts on Auto Zone and Home Depot products, Wray said.
No contract has to be signed for the program. All that is required, Wray said, is "an easy sign-up through the Internet."
"The savings we offer are on parts, oils and fluids," she said. "These are things we don't even give our up and down the street customers."
The program is a way for Auto Zone to help municipalities make it through tough economic times.
"All these pennies start adding up," Wray said. "That's why Auto Zone is here … to help you. If I can add more dollars to your budget and save another job, that's what I want to do."
Wray said some cities have signed up for the program under one large umbrella, but the commissioners declined to make signing up a requirement, preferring instead to leave the decision up to individual departments.
"We will make a motion to sign a resolution to suggest it to the departments," Commission President Gene Beck said.
Also at the meeting, Putnam County Development Center executive director Bill Dory told the commissioners he had found one person who was interested in filling one of two vacancies for Putnam County representatives on the Region 7 Regional Workforce Board.
"Mike East, who is CEO of Endeavor Communications, is interested in serving, but he must be appointed by the commissioners," Dory said.
Commissioner Jim Baird said he would prefer the commissioners take the matter under advisement, but that he didn't want to make a decision on the appointment until East could meet with the commissioners.
"I like talking to the individual before I make any decisions," he said.
Dory said he would contact East and see if he would be available to attend the commissioner's Dec. 1 meeting.