By Linda Dean Cooper
On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Procurement Coordinator Alicia Tretheway was placed on paid administrative leave due to concerns by County Manager Mary Ellen Harper about how Procurement was being handled in Levy County. Tretheway resigned on February 20th effective at noon. The procurement position was eliminated.
Manager Harper’s Memo to BoCC: Levy County Procurement
To: The Board of County Commissioners
From: Mary-Ellen Harper, County Manager
Date: February 19, 2015
Subject: Levy County Procurement
Commissioners:
I continue to evaluate the effectiveness of processes and departments as I work on projects and/or have concerns about the operations of the Levy County Board of County Commissioners Government. On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, I placed Procurement Coordinator Alicia Tretheway on paid administrative leave due to concerns I had related to how Procurement was being handled in Levy County.
In the days following February 4th, I worked with staff to capture all of the procurement projects. I also met with staff members to discuss their department’s interactions with Procurement related to effectiveness and efficiency.
On February 12th, Mike Fitzgerald, the Chief Operating Officer of Aclarian, the company contracted to provide Levy County’s Budget Officer Position, spent the day evaluating the Procurement Department. Prior to his on-site meetings, Mr. Fitzgerald also comprehensively reviewed Levy County’s Procurement Code and Purchasing Policy.
Mr. Fitzgerald’s report is included for your review. (Copy of Report on Spotlight website)
Aclarian Report – Procurement Dept Functions Expanded in Recent Years
Fitzgerald’s review identified the scope of work of the Procurement Department had expanded in recent years to include many functions that are better managed by the County’s Department Heads, recommending decentralizing purchasing. In many cases, in addition to putting projects out to bid, Procurement stayed involved and functioned as a de facto project manager, thus creating unclear lines of authority and responsibility between Procurement and the Department heads tasked with managing and completing projects.
Harper’s Meeting with Staff Reveals Unclear Lines & Procurement’s Continued Role After Bid
Harper included in her memo to BoCC: “One example of this is the renovation of the Development Department. Procurement continued to play an active role in the renovation long after the project bid was awarded. This project has had some significant mistakes, including:
- Purchasing almost $40,000 in custom cabinets that did not need to be purchased by the County because they were already included in the contract with the General Contractor;
- The completion of the interior renovations before the leaking roof was replaced;
- Project specifications, as well as ongoing change orders that were not consistently shared with the County Engineer and/or Maintenance Director;
- Procurement also played a role in processing payments during the project, sometimes independent of the Department Head in charge of the project, resulting in payments being made before some of the work was completed.
These examples are provided for context and are not intended to be a comprehensive list.”
Conclusion: Procurement Position Eliminated
Harper has decided to decentralize purchasing in Levy County and eliminate the position of Procurement Coordinator. The salary and benefits associated with the Procurement Coordinator position are $ 104,000.
The functions of the Procurement Department will be redistributed among the County’s contracted Budget Officer, contracted information technology vendor, Grants-Legislative Coordinator, and the County Manager’s office. This arrangement will eliminate single points of failure by ensuring that multiple people have access, authorization, and knowledge to move mission-critical tasks forward instead of relying on one person.
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Posted February 22, 2025
