Orinda City Council Discusses More Transparency of Government - For Itself

What appeared to be an innocuous item on the Orinda City Council meeting agenda Tuesday turned into an interesting debate about government transparency.

An ordinance introduced at the meeting would simplify the process for bidding on construction contracts, allowing the public works department to select from a pre-approved list of contractors without going through the usual 2-4 week bid process.

The idea for the ordinance proposal was the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act, which gave cities the discretion to use an informal and simpler bidding process for contracts less than $125,000.

More than 100 California cities use the modified bidding process outlined by the act, which would give the public works department the discretion to speed through the awards process by selecting the lowest bidder from a list of qualified contractors.

Public Works Director Charles Swanson pitched the ordinance as a way of streamlining administrative costs by cutting staff time needed for small and routine projects. He assured the council that capital improvement project contracts would still require the usual red tape, along with any other expensive projects.

Swanson explained that the ordinance would still require accountability to the public. All contractors on the qualified list would be approved by the city council, and public notice would still be given to the community. The difference, he reminded the council, was that small projects would be approved more quickly because they would not go before the city council.

Some council members felt hesitant about moving part of the bidding process out of the public eye, citing the fact that Orinda residents are more tuned into the city government process than in most other places. All present council members agreed that transparency was a chief concern for them to protect.

Vice Mayor Victoria Smith cited the economic climate as a reason for residents' "heightened sensitivity" to city spending, adding that she spoke with Councilman Steve Glazer and he shared her concerns. Smith favored lowering the threshold for the ordinance to $50,000, which the council was amenable to.

The discussion seemed to be a tug-of-war between cost efficiency and open government, a balance that is tricky in a city like Orinda where residents prefer business-like accounting methods and crystal clear accountability.