Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede delivers the state of the township address at the Mercer Ballroom on Tuesday. gregg slaboda photo

HAMILTON — Hamilton Township has come one step closer to what would codify the way the town awards contracts to private vendors.

The body introduced legislation that would formalize the administration’s practices of bidding its professional contracts, such as engineering, health insurance brokerage and others at its meeting Tuesday night.

Councilman Dennis Pone said the township has already been practicing the bid processes in the ordinance. The model for the ordinance came from the Citizens Campaign, a statewide reform advocacy group.

“Politicians around the state have been talking about doing it forever and we’re making it law,” he said.

The ordinance would require the township to go out for bids on all of its contracts and take the bidders’ price into account as part of its decisions when awarding those contracts.

The council approved a contract with the township’s auditor — and an expanded audit — with the firm Hodulik and Morrison. The auditor contract was not solicited or bid out, Business Administrator John Ricci said.

“We have had good success with this firm, since 2006,” he said. “Council and administration are both pleased with the service and because it is a professional service, bidding is not required."

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