City Council Report: City to seek bids on parts, ambulance services outsourcing still in committee

By Jim Hagerty
Staff Writer

The Rockford City Council’s Finance and Personnel Committee has approved a recommendation to seek bids from the private sector to maintain its parts management operation.

The motion was passed Monday, Feb. 7, a week after aldermen requested more time to mull the matter.

The city’s parts management program includes its central supply system for items necessary to make repairs on equipment.

Meantime, the council still hasn’t begun looking for bids from outside ambulance contractors. Exploring those recommendations, officials said, may be delayed until the City of Rockford completes collective bargaining with International Fire Fighters Association 413.

At last week’s council meeting, aldermen Carl Wasco (D-4) and Doug Mark (R-3) voted against seeking immediate bids to outsource the service. Both councilmen had questions about how an outsourced program would best fit the city’s needs, which sent the matter back to committee, where it remains for now.

The parts management recommendation is the third area in which the city will seek outsourcing bids. Aldermen approved the bid-searching process on fleet management and street sweeping last week.

The list of recommendations is part of a report presented by Chicago consulting firm Baker Tilly, hired by the city last year. The firm presented the first phase of the report Jan. 24.

According to Baker Tilly statistics, the City of Rockford would save more than $10 million per year by making changes to how it delivers four direct services to the community.

City Administrator Jim Ryan said the report’s second phase includes outsourcing advice in the city’s finance, human resources and legal departments.

The Rockford City Council meets in open session every Monday at 6 p.m. Meetings are in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, downtown.

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