The Lake County Council is poised to rescind a 2020 ordinance making it the county’s purchasing agency to align with state law.
Council attorney Tom O’Donnell said the Indiana State Board of Accounts requested that the ordinance be “cleaned up” to follow state law. He recommended that the council rescind the ordinance.
In 2023, a state law specific to Lake County states that the county executive, the commissioners — not the county judiciary, the council — is the county purchasing and data processing agency.
Commissioners’ attorney Matt Fech said the council rescinding the ordinance will align the county with state law.
“The Board of Commissioners and myself, we appreciate the council taking this step to remove the ordinance off the books to be consistent with state law,” Fech said.
In 2020, former councilman Christian Jorgensen, R-St. John, proposed the council draft ordinances, which gave the council authority over purchasing and data processing citing a state law from the 1980s.
More Top Picks Best Standby Generators For Homes
Jorgensen further argued that the council should have authority over purchasing because of “the incessant squabbling” over purchases between the Lake County Sheriff’s Department and the Lake County Board of Commissioners. He said the council should have authority over data processing after the county’s software systems were hacked in 2019.
After the council approved the ordinances, the commissioners vetoed the ordinances because they “violate the separation of power” between the executive and legislative branches of county government, Fech said at the time.
The council overrode the veto, and after taking the issue to court, retained control over purchasing and data processing.
Council president Christine Cid said the commissioners were successful in petitioning the state legislature to change the law, so the council has to rescind its ordinance.
“It’s something we have to do,” Cid said. “Now our ordinance is irrelevant. It’s moot. Laws can be changed, and unfortunately, the general assembly agreed with the commissioners.”
Cid said the data processing ordinance became void under the 2023 state law. But, Cid said, the council took action to rescind the purchasing agency ordinance because the State Board of Accounts flagged the ordinance.
The council is expected to vote on rescinding the purchasing agency ordinance Oct. 14, which is 5 years after the council approved the ordinance Oct. 13, 2020.