Reservations about a proposed temporary staffing provider for the city continue to linger with some members of the Chattanooga City Council.
Two weeks ago, the council stopped short of including MSi Workforce Solutions as part of a $1.8 million temporary staffing blanket contract which also included Outsource Staffing. The council reconsiders the MSi decision Tuesday.
The council voted 7-2 to amend the agreement after concerns were raised by members Demetrus Coonrod and Anthony Byrd, with Carol Berz and Jerry Mitchell, the body's chairman, voting against the move. The issues that were raised included the company's short track record - it was formed one year ago - and the actual number of employees it could provide.
Donna Christian Lowe co-owner of Main Street InnovationsOn Friday, MSi President and CEO J. Marty Lowe said in a statement the company was "extremely disappointed" when the council "unexpectedly" removed it from the dual staffing contract recommended by city staff.
"MSi is optimistic that the recommendation will be fully approved [on Tuesday] and that MSi will be allowed the opportunity to provide its longstanding and excellent level of services to the City of Chattanooga moving forward," Lowe said.
In a recent phone interview, Byrd said he had been contacted by constituents who "weren't too happy" with awarding an agreement to the company.
Donna Christian Lowe, the company's chief operating officer and wife of the CEO, is a founding member of the Mayor's Women's Council. She also cites 20 years of experience as a human resources professional, including executive and senior management positions in her MSi bio.
J. Marty Lowe, Main Street Innovations Co-CEO Last year, MSi partnered with Tranco Logistics, a truck driving transportation and warehousing company, as part of a workforce development initiative.
Coonrod said Thursday she still has concerns about the agreement.
She had sought to defer a vote on the matter, but Chattanooga officials cautioned this would leave the city without a temporary staffing agreement at month's end, possibly resulting in disruptions to employees and services. That's when Byrd sought to remove MSi from the mix, ensuring the city had at least one temporary staffing provider in place at the beginning of October.
On Oct. 3, Councilman Chip Henderson asked the council to revisit the inclusion of MSi as part of the city's temporary staffing blanket contract. Henderson was one of the seven council members who voted to amend the original agreement to exclude the company.
On Thursday, he explained his vote to amend was not really a vote against MSi, but one of courtesy to his colleagues.
"I've always taken a position that if one or two council members still have questions about an agenda voting matter, I am willing to support giving them the opportunity to get answers," Henderson said. "I thought an additional week was sufficient time to do that."
No competing vendors have publicly approached the council to protest the MSi recommendation.
Contact staff writer Paul Leach at 423-757-6481 or pleach@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @pleach_tfp.