Local Video
|
| Staying ‘local’: It means different things to different people |
By: JIM HAMMERAND, Staff Writer
|
Posted: Saturday, January 2, 2010 1:37 am
|
 Email  Print
|
NORTHFIELD — With the economy down, stores want shoppers to buy locally. If you want nutritious food, some grocers say, eat locally. Some say City Hall should do more of its spending locally.
Sure thing, but what is local?
It’s a question that’s been on the mind of political observers who recently watched the City Council approve new civil and criminal attorneys for the city.
When the longtime city attorneys from Northfield’s Lampe Law Group were passed over for metro-area lawyers, other Northfield attorneys bemoaned the diversion of tax dollars from the local economy. The winning side of a nearly split council said the 4-3 decision ensured the city would get the best value.
The City Council could face a similar decision in April, when it is scheduled to select an architect to design a new police headquarters.
“Its very hard for public bodies to know how to evaluate comparable professional services” because there are so many variables to consider, Steve Edwins of SMSQ Architects said.
His firm practices in a much wider area than just Northfield, servicing clients within about a 200-mile radius, out of necessity. Getting local, public work is increasingly difficult, he said, because price seems to be the most important of all the variables officials make when awarding contracts.
“Usually it comes across as who’s cheapest,” Edwins said. “We’d at least like to be considered.”
Mayor Mary Rossing, who voted for the new attorneys and defended the decision multiple times in public, said she and other council members owe it to taxpayers to “find the best services for the best price.”
“Our job as a governmental body is to provide an atmosphere and an environment where business can thrive,” she said. “I don’t think it’s the role of government to make those businesses thrive, though we can support what they do and when we make decisions we can take the local factor into account.”
Communications technology has shortened distances in for professionals, Councilor Betsey Buckheit said. She, too, voted for the new attorneys, and said the city should do routine purchasing locally but that a 55057 mailing address carries less weight for professional services like architects for city facilities.
“You’re looking for someone who has expertise. If they happen to be in Northfield, fabulous. If they’re not, that’s OK,” she said.
State law requires sealed bidding for procurements or contracted services, but not professional services, in excess of $100,000.
“Local does not come in to play on that … and can not,” City Administrator Joel Walinski said.
But cities do have some leeway on local spending, he said, and look to the Office of the State Auditor and the League of Minnesota Cities for guidance.
They advise that cities can go with a local business over a more distant one if all else is equal or if there’s a demonstrable cost savings to doing business locally, Walinski said.
Just what the council considers local, he said, is “still up for debate.”
“They haven’t really pinned down a policy in terms of defining what is local, nor have they said, ‘Given this criteria, we’ll give the extra weighting to local firms,’” Walinski said.
The city has yet to send out for proposals for the police project, but architects from Faribault, Mankato and St. Paul have already started calling, identifying themselves as local.
“If I’m vying for work in Northfield I want to say I’m local, but if I’m vying for work in Owatonna I want to say I’m the best,” said Jim Braucher.
Braucher is Northfield’s Professional Design Group’s principal. He said his firm doesn’t need any “special favors” because it’s local, but that the onus is on him to prove that they can do the job.
“I don’t need a token interview just because I’m local. I don’t know how the selection is going to work on this, but my position is it’s mine to lose,” he said. “I’m going … to set the bar so high that they have to give it to me.
“It’s hard but if you want to play the game that’s what you do.”
HOW DO YOU DEFINE LOCAL?
Joey Robison, Just Food’s eat local challenge coordinator
What is local? The five-state area (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North and South Dakota)
What do you do locally? Purchase grain and pastas from Dakotas, yogurt from Iowa, cheese from Wisconsin and other regional foods.
What’s important about local? “Different people come to it for different reasons but I think a lot of it is the people in this community love this community and want to support it. They want to do business with their friends and neighbors and support them in their ventures.”
Jeff Hasse, Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce president, Owner of Country Inn, Oil Can Henry’s and AmericInn Lodge
What is local? Northfield and surrounding communities (30- to 40-mile radius)
What do you do locally? “Every time we make a purchase, we first try to do it locally and if economically it makes sense, we sure do. Some of the things that we try and acquire are not available readily in Northfield and therefore we have to go outside of Northfield, but we sure try to keep as much local as we can.”
What’s important about local? “If we can get some money flowing throughout the community, I think it’s much more useful than if we give someone a ton of money in another community and they get to use it there.”
Jim Jessen, Northfield Plumbing co-owner
What is local? Northfield (60-mile radius)
What do you do locally? Targets Northfield customers to keep costs down, enhance word-of-mouth about company
What’s important about local? “It’s very big (for) our reputation. We have to maintain better quality because of that, obviously … I’m trying to build a business around repeat customers.”
Ross Currier, Northfield Downtown Development Corporation executive director
What is local? Northfield (10-mile radius)
What do you do locally? “I virtually buy nothing that is not in downtown. … All of the jeans that I own were bought at Jacobsen’s. I finally got a new pair at the Rare Pair a few years ago, and I worry (about) what I’m going to do when they wear out.”
What’s important about local? “I personally prefer to give my business to someone who I view as being from the community and who I believe has some shared values. … Reinvesting in your community is important.”
— Jim Hammerand covers the city. He can be reached at jhammerand@northfieldnews.com or 645-1114. |
|
|
|
Story Comment Guidelines:
Registered members who identify themselves by name are authorized to automatically post comments to stories. Readers who wish to remain anonymous submit comments to a pending queue, where they will be reviewed for approval within 24 hours of their submission. To determine the author of a comment, click on the user name.
Those who identify themselves will be given broader boundaries to express their opinion. Only those anonymous comments that contribute to the conversation in a thoughtful, respectful, civil manner will be approved. The decision to approve or reject a comment is a subjective one and is ours alone. Authors of rejected comments will receive an email response.
If you would like to report abuse click here to notify us.
|
|
| Show Comments | Hide Comments
|
|
| Login and voice your opinion!
|
|
|
|
|
Top Jobs | Top Homes | Top Cars
09 Jetta
09 white Jetta asking $16,000
less than 48,000 miles
|
|
Digg
Del.icio.us
Facebook
MySpace
StumbleUpon
Google
Yahoo!
