09092014 - News Article - FBI visits Portage street department

FBI visits Portage street department
NWI Times
September 09, 2014
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/portage/fbi-visits-portage-street-department/article_f07989c4-6fcd-5028-8df8-b06ae1ee53bd.html

PORTAGE | FBI officials made their second visit to the city Tuesday.

This time they visited the city's street department requesting documentation related to the purchase of automated garbage trucks from Great Lakes Peterbilt, said Clerk-Treasurer Chris Stidham who confirmed the agency's visit.

City Attorney Gregg Sobkowski confirmed the FBI issued a subpoena for all bid packages received by the city for garbage trucks purchased from 2012 to the present.

"The city is going to comply with all the requests," said Sobkowski, adding they were given a Sept. 17 deadline to provide the information.

In late July, the agency visited the city's Utility Services Department requesting documents related to Mayor James Snyder's travel expenses for a city economic development trip to Europe.

The FBI also requested copies of Snyder's campaign finance records and records from his political action committee from the Porter County Administration Center in July.

According to minutes from a Board of Works meeting, the board approved the purchase of "solid waste collection vehicles" from Great Lakes Peterbilt on Jan. 28, 2013. While the minutes don't reflect how many garbage trucks were purchased or their cost, they do state that Street Superintendent Steve Charnetzky told the board that Great Lakes Peterbilt was the only responsive bidder and that other bids should be rejected.

Board of Works minutes from Dec. 23, 2013, also reflect the city bought two additional trucks from Great Lakes Peterbilt for $425,355. In that round of bidding, there were three other bids received, and Great Lakes Peterbilt appeared to be the lowest bidder.

The FBI has made frequent visits to Porter County this summer, most recently to the town of Hebron last week along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

They also visited offices of the Porter County auditor's office in August seeking information on a commercial development in Valparaiso.