Arizona County Renews Controversial Blind Vendor Contract

LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ -- Mohave County has approved a contract to renew vending services with Arizona's blind vending program despite Supervisor Buster Johnson's challenge of the law behind it. | READ MORE

The only change the county's Board of Supervisors board made to the contract was to shorten its duration, from 15 years to five years.

The issue came to the forefront when Mohave County's vending contract came up for renewal in May. The county's operator had died and no other blind vendor was available to take over the business. The state had been overseeing the work of the subcontractor who had been providing the vending services to the blind business owner.

Blind vendors licensed by the state are allowed to run their businesses by hiring sighted employees or subcontracting work to other vending operations. Johnson raised concern that this could allow for abuse of the system by giving those vendors an unfair advantage, and the arrangement was made without giving the county a chance to seek out a better deal from other providers.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security, which operates the Business Enterprise Program, has reportedly recruited a blind vendor for the new contract.

Johnson asked staff to explore whether it was possible for the county to put the services up for bid, and to encourage lawmakers and the governor to examine how the program works.

The board had tabled the contract at two previous meetings and directed county staff to solicit bids from other vending service providers, according to Today's News Herald. However, the staff reportedly did not follow that directive, since the law requires that only blind vendors can be considered.