Municipal officials are taking a stand on looming economic tariffs.
Council members approved amendments to the Chatham-Kent Purchasing Bylaw 205-2023 at the June 9 council meeting.
Passed by a vote of 14-0, the amendment adds that American companies that bid on contracts above $500,000 and are the lowest bidder could see the contract awarded to a non-US supplier who is within 20% of their bid.
For bids under $500,000, US-based companies are not allowed to bid, unless approved by senior administration. Single source and sole-source purchases still remain the only exception.
Ward 6 councillor Alysson Storey has been vocal about Chatham-Kent’s tariff response, presenting a notice of motion on April 7 about tariff impact and possible support options for the community.
“I’m hoping we can take a look at some of our larger spending items, or perhaps items we have currently committed to, and review if those can be redirected, even temporarily, during this tariff nightmare,” Storey told CKXS news back in April after putting forth her motion.
The Ward 6 councillor revised her motion after council voted to approve the new municipal tariff response. This included dropping a financial review of all non-essential and/or non-critical spending over $200,000, and a financial contingency plan for potential municipal budget impacts.
The councillor felt the updated response adequately answered some of her concerns. With council voting 12-4 in favour of her revised motion, which was for the administration to bring back a report with an economic assessment identifying the most high-risk employment sectors and estimated job loss resulting from tariff impacts in our community.
Councillors Anthony Ceccacci, Aaron Hall, Lauren Anderson and Trevor Thompson voted against the motion. Councillors Amy Finn and Ryan Doyle were not present for the vote.
