A Portage la Prairie city councillor says it's hypocritical to tell citizens to shop locally if they're not doing it themselves. Finance Chair Brent Budz discussed the addition of a policy Monday night, that would allow council to show a preference to local contractors for municipal projects if the price difference is minimal. The current process of approving contracts through city council means Council generally goes with the lowest bidder, quite often resulting in those from outside the area doing the work.

"We have to be leaders when it comes to investing local and purchasing local. By approving a policy that provides us a small degree of discretion, I think we can do that. We obviously have to be stewards of Portage la Prairie residents' funds and our taxpayers' dollars. At the same time., we need to play a lead role in investing in the businesses that support so many worthwhile community organizations."

Some of the parameters discussed during Monday's Council meeting includes giving preference to local contractors if the cost was under $1,000 more than the lowest bid, or using a percentage to outline that amount. This isn't the first time Budz has looked to give preference to local contractors, introducing similar motions to Council twice in the past.

"They were defeated. Council felt we had to go with the lowest price. I agree with that, there are parameters where you do have to take a look at larger dollar expenditures that require us to follow a federal agreement. Having said that, I think Council still deserves to have a degree of discretion to ensure we're taking a positive step forward and being leaders in continuing to invest in our community."

Administration is currently working to draft a policy regarding local purchasing preference. While Budz is hoping the third time is the charm for the policy, it could face some challenges. The administrative recommendation is to not implement the local purchasing preference, while a few on Council had also expressed concerns.