Should commissioners reconsider Annex Building bids?

Given some post-meeting developments regarding sealed bids related to the possible purchase of the Highland County Annex Building, a few questions come to mind.

We'll get to those questions in a moment.

As reported last week by The Highland County Press – for the record, the only media in attendance at the Sept. 18 meeting of the Highland County Board of Commissioners – two sealed bids were received on the proposed sale of the Highland County Annex Building on North High Street in uptown Hillsboro.

The bids, which had been scheduled for opening on Sept. 18, will be opened at the Sept. 25 commissioners' meeting, according to the board.

In previously announcing that sealed bids would be accepted until Sept. 18, Commissioners Shane Wilkin, Tom Horst and Jeremy Shaffer also announced – in published advertisements – that said bids would be opened on Sept. 18.

For whatever reason or reasons, the bids were not opened at the Sept. 18 commissioners' meeting.

A number of readers have asked The Highland County Press about the sealed-bid process and any potential legal issues that may arise due to the county's failure to open the bids as advertised.

At least one reader also inquired as to why the county did not put the property on sale by way of public auction – with a minimum bid requirement – prior to accepting sealed bids.

That is a question for the commissioners and their legal counsel.

Another reader has asked about the security of the submitted bids. To that, the only plausible answer is that the two bids are as secure as the board to which they have been submitted and entrusted.

Following last Wednesday's commissioners' meeting, I received two telephone calls from two different county commissioners. One expressed serious regret and dismay that the two bids were not opened as advertised. The other said that the county received a call from the Hillsboro mayor's office as to which bid was accepted.

Perhaps the city of Hillsboro is one of the two bidders, although that's rather unusual, given the public-to-public entity property transactions that are commonplace in Ohio. If the city is not one of the two bidders, why was a city employee allegedly calling the commissioners on Sept. 18? Was she doing this on taxpayers' time? If so, on whose orders?

And if the city is one of the two bidders on the Annex Building, why hasn't this been discussed in open session at the county commissioners' meetings?

Are Hillsboro City Council members aware of this interest in the Annex Building?

The Highland County Press also has been told that a judicial memorandum was issued to the commissioners related to some of the Annex Building's contents. That may or may not be accurate information, and I haven't had the time nor the inclination to ask our esteemed judicial body.

All this being said, should commissioners reconsider the Annex Building bids and start over?

Perhaps they should.

If not, they can expect similar doubts as those related to a Main Street property transaction that occurred during an unannounced Thursday meeting or those related to a candidate's political website being linked to the taxpayer-funded Highland County Board of Commissioners' website.

The easy answer would seem to be this: In order to avoid any and all appearances of impropriety, begin the process anew.

In advertising for sealed bids, the county stated: "The Board of Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all bids."

As a courtesy to county taxpayers, perhaps consider a public auction with a minimum bid requirement. Should that fail to bring in the anticipated revenues, advertise for sealed bids and follow through on the advertised time and place for the bid openings.

It's really not all that complicated if you put the best interests of the county taxpayers first and work backward from there.

Rory Ryan is publisher and editor of The Highland County Press.