Orion Township Trustees will wait at least two more weeks to choose a company to provide Geographical Information System support services to the township. At least one trustee didn’t feel comfortable with choosing township engineers Orchard, Hiltz and McCliment after they sat in on applicant interviews.
Buildings and grounds director Reenae Tulip recommended the township go with OHM for GIS training after she and township zoning/planning administrator Beth Brock and GIS Tech Scott Harrod from OHM reviewed 49 applicants. Five either had experience with or training in GIS and it was those five that they interviewed, two in person and three by phone.
According to Tulip, those applicants were found unqualified, and she then asked OHM to submit a proposal for GIS service. The proposal would identify requirements for the township to have a working GIS and for departments to be able to make use of it through training.
Tulip said that would help determine if the township needed to hire a information and technology manager full-time to help with GIS issues.
OHM submitted a proposal at a cost of $840 a week for one eight hour visit, not to exceed 13 weeks for a total of $10,920.
Tulip said that cost reflected about a quarter of the salary proposed for a IT manager.
‘This is like a pilot program,? she explained. ‘We’re not signing a contract…it’s pretty flexible.?
GIS training would allow the township to be able to access the OAKNET service provided by the county for information.
‘Since Oakland County has GIS and they’re offering it free to certain communities…we’re going with OHM?? asked trustee Richard Tomczak.
Tulip said the training OHM would provide would allow the township to take advantage of the county’s offer.
‘We need someone to show us how to get it and what we can do with it,? she added.
‘That’s important to know, because that’s a lot for training,? Tomczak said.
‘The county is putting a lot of money into technology, and for us to take advantage we have to be up to speed on (GIS),? said supervisor Jerry Dywasuk.
Trustee Will Wilsher felt uncomfortable awarding the job to OHM because they were the township’s engineers and they had a representative sitting in on interviews before submitting a proposal.
Dywasuk said some of the other applicants were located far from Orion Township, which was a concern.
‘We felt this was a right step and a right direction,? he said of the GIS training.
‘One of the things that kind of bothers me a little bit…a representative for OHM actually sat in on the interviews here,? said Wilsher. ‘I personally don’t feel comfortable with this at all…I think there’s a conflict of interest here.?
Tulip said the township did originally attempt to chose another company.
‘It was hard to find someone strong in GIS,? she said. ‘Who was willing to go for what we were offering.?
‘I’d personally feel more comfortable if we at least obtain a couple of other quotes on this,? said Wilsher.
According to Dywasuk, Wilsher wasn’t on the township board over the three years that the quest to bring GIS to the township was going on.
‘When we had discussions with numerous companies,? he added. ‘Quite honestly, this seemed to make the most sense and was our most economical way to get our foot in the door.?
Tulip said a previous township board in 1996 put a stop to a contract with OHM to get GIS.
‘If this has been going on since ?96, I don’t see why we can’t wait until the next board meeting,? Wilsher said.
‘I’m trying to protect us…to guard the township in the interview process,? said trustee Richard Tomczak, who recommended the board wait until the next board meeting to act when they could get an attorney opinion.
‘To make sure there’s no conflict of interest,? he said.
Tomczak said he would have voted yes to OHM’s proposal if they hadn’t had a representative sitting in on the interviews.
Jim Stevens of OHM told the board that part of their service agreement as the township’s engineering firm was to help interview GIS candidates.
‘The township couldn’t find one, so we offered our GIS department to get them started,? he said.
The board will have township attorney Kristin Kolb review the issue and will discuss it again at the March 1 board meeting.