Townships saved $60,000 buying in bulk
Do you want big savings? Buy in bulk. Scioto County townships saved $60,000 last year thanks to a joint purchasing program with the County. Scioto County Engineer Darren LeBrun likens it to buying at a wholesale club. “You buy a quart of something at the store for $2 but if you go to Sam’s Club you can get a gallon for the same price.”
LeBrun says his department makes items like pipe, salt, and even road signs available to townships at their cost. “It’s (the) quantity of scale. When we bid out pipe, we bid out extra quantities to provide to townships.”
He says they also save a lot of money by participating in a joint buying program with the State of Ohio for road salt and pass those savings on to the townships. Thanks to a mild winter, the county has used only half the usual amount of road salt this year. The savings in salt supply and man-hours have added up to $75,000.
LeBrun says the savings to township doesn’t even count what they save on asphalt for patching the roads. During the winter, his department mixes up their own cold-mix asphalt for cold-weather road repairs and makes it available to the townships.
He says the cooperation doesn’t end there. The county, townships, and cities jointly apply for grants through a cooperative grant program. “Half will participate one year, half will participate the next year. When it’s their turn they pick out $100,000 worth of roadwork they want to do, we pick a project that will be paid with 60/40 with grant money.” The grant pays for $60,000 worth of work, the township pays for $40,000. LeBrun said most communities choose a paving project, though some have decided to go with culvert replacement. He says they’ve also done joint projects with New Boston, Portsmouth, and South Webster. “Grants are really competitive. It’s a good example of everybody working together.”
LeBrun says projects like these require officials on all levels to work together. His office must work with the prosecutor, the governing bodies of each township and city, county commissioners, and the auditor to make these projects happen. “If everybody didn’t work together we couldn’t get the grant and it wouldn’t work. It’s something everybody should be proud of. If citizens saw it, they would be proud of it.”
Townships saved $60,000 buying in bulk
