County grants Krause's a three-month trial
By Cheryl McCormack
Editor
The quest to feed county prisoners for less continues.
Assistant Jail Administrator Wade Krohmer appeared before the McLean County Commission Board on Tuesday morning to request a six-month trial period to order the jail's food from three separate vendors – Krause's Market, US Foods and Food Service – to determine which company can offer the lowest-priced products.
Krohmer recently sent a two-week menu to the three vendors, in an attempt to compare the price each offers on similar items. A day's menu includes cereal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches for lunch and a hot meal for supper.
Krause's Market, Washburn, is the jail's current vendor, offering reasonable delivery fees and a 10 percent discount on grocery items. Krohmer said the jail plans on buying their staples, such as bread and milk, from Krause's, regardless.
"I strongly suspect that if we go to another vendor (other than Krause's), there will be no more 10 percent discount," Commissioner Steve Lee said. "And delivery will more than likely go away, too. I'm real hesitant to take business away from a local vendor."
Krohmer said the jail has run into problems with the timing of Krause's delivery truck, causing them to run short on TV dinners a time or two. Referring to Food Service and US Foods, Krohmer said, "We order (groceries) one day and the next day they're here."
