Dixon Hughes of Southern Pines offered the low bid for the county’s audit for a three-year period.
Central Services Director John G. Frye told the commissioners that Dixon Hughes was one of three firms responding to the county’s call for audit proposals this year. He said six firms were invited to participate, but three others did not respond.
Dixon Hughes offered to handle the audit at a three-year cost of $114,950. The others, including Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, offered to do the audit for $150,000. Cherry, Bekaert & Holland has been conducting the audit in recent years, Frye said.
Frye said that Dixon Hughes is now performing audits for Aberdeen, Pinehurst, Southern Pines and the Board of Education. Scott Brewer of the Southern Pines office will be the partner in charge of the audit, assisted by personnel in the Sanford office.
The contract for senior meals food service went to Mid-South Food Service of Aberdeen, which offered to provide food service at a rate of $3.10 per meal, the total cost estimate not to exceed $131,750.
The Mid-South bid is slightly higher than the offer by the one other company submitting a bid, but both Frye and Department of Aging Director Terri Prots recommended Mid-South.
Prots said that in the past her agency has encountered problems with the other bidder, which has held the contract for the past two years. She cited a series of problems with shortages, poor food quality, improper packaging and deliveries. In particular, she mentioned incidents in which entire entrees were missing and fruit was not ripe enough to be served.
In addition, Prots described surveys of meal site participants who indicated by 80 percent that they prefer a different food provider. She said that Mid-South has previously held the contract with her agency and that service was satisfactory.
Frye said that 10 firms were asked to submit bids but only two responded.
Funding for this program comes from the Older Americans Act and the Home and Community Care Block Grant.
Commissioner David J. Cummings made the motion to approve the audit contract, Commissioner Robert S. Ewing made the motion to approve the food service contract, and approval was unanimous in both cases.
A public hearing on a rezoning request was dropped from the board’s agenda at the last minute.
Prior to the meeting applicants Barbara Simmons and Larry McNeill advised the county’s planning department that they wished to withdraw their request.
Simmons and McNeill had asked the county to rezone a tract of about 32.3 acres from Rural Agriculture-40 to RA-2. The change would have allowed them to operate a child care center in a rural area on the west side of Carthage Road between Seven Lakes Drive and N.C. 73.
Most neighboring property owners opposed the request earlier this month when the Moore County Planning Board conducted a hearing.
The Planning Board voted to recommend denial of the change, but the vote was split 4-3.
