Waste Management Director Gets More Spending Power

The head of the Waste Management Authority has new spending power, thanks to a recent vote taken by the agency’s board of directors. Board members accepted the recommendations of the agency’s chief financial officer to increase Executive Director Roger Merritt’s spending limit to a quarter million dollars.

Up until the time of the vote, Merritt could authorize payments up to $100,000. Chief Financial Officer Darryl Griffith assured the board that raising the limit would bring the agency into line with an acquisition threshold set by the federal government.

Adopting a proposal to revise Waste Management’s procurement policies and procedures made the change possible. Griffith’s proposal also stated that expenditures exceeding $250,000 would require board approval.

Board Chairman Keith Richards asked if the procurement policies are in line with local procurement policies. Griffith said that where local policies are stricter t

“You have to see procurement policy as a living and breathing thing,” the chief financial officer said.

Griffith’s reply seemed to reassure the chairman. “We need to see more wholesome processes,” Richards said.