SHREVEPORT COUNCIL WITHDRAWS AMENDMENTS - The Shreveport City Council has withdrawn a proposals to increase oversight and the power to approve purchases by the Mayor’s Office. According the Shreveport Times, An ordinance up for final passage Tuesday would have required City Council approval of all Mayor Adrian Perkins' purchases of $500,000 or more. Another amendment proposed by Councilman John Nickelson would’ve lowered the limit to $100,000 but he withdrew his amendment due to lack of council support. During yesterday’s council meeting- he expressed hope that some council oversight could be reached on purchases in the future.
"I hope that further conversation with the mayor's office and with my colleagues will allow us to agree on some threshold, some amount beyond which council approval will be required.," said Nickelson. "I think that's in the best interest of the city."
The purchase approval measures were proposed last April after an internal audit raised council concerns that Mayor Perkins’ office had unilaterally changed city property insurance to another provider that was costing the city more but lowering the “per-occurrence claim limit” which led some to believe that city property wasn’t adequately covered.
