Benton Harbor City Commissioners are considering the grass cutting contract for the year, something that has often come up in discussions. At a Monday meeting, the city commission was asked to approve bids from five contractors to cut grass at properties including parks and the cemeteries. Some commissioners took issue with the choices, asking if enough city residents are employed by the firms. Mayor Marcus Muhammad said the recommendation is made by the city staff, including the city manager, and it’s important not to pick winners and losers.
“Our role is not choosing the contractors,” Muhammad said. “Legally, we cannot do that. Our role is to, based upon what is presented by the manager to us, to approve but not choose. Because once elected officials start choosing who the contractors are, that’s a real slippery slope.”
The grass cutting contracts amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. A motion was made to table the matter and send it to a committee, but City Manager Ellis Mitchell said that would delay the start of grass cutting with spring here. He noted the firms hired last year only generated one complaint, and that was the result of a family emergency delaying mowing briefly. Nevertheless, commissioners opted to send the matter back to the Public Safety and Recreation Committee. It will come back to them in two weeks.
