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The Live Oak City Council reached no decision Tuesday on whether to put the OMI public works contract out for bids, opting instead to resume talks with the company next week. The council had voted in December to negotiate with the company, then seek bids should talks fail. The two sides met in January and it had appeared the matter might be put to a vote Tuesday. The next session is set for Feb. 18.

Council President Mark Stewart began Tuesday’s discussion of OMI with a recommendation that the city continue outsourcing public works operations.

Councilman Ed Rewis made the motion and David Burch followed with a second.

That’s as far as it went, however.

City attorney Erny Sellers explained the motion was unnecessary because a decision to outsource had already been made with December’s vote to either renew with OMI or seek competitive bids.

“There’s no point in voting again to bid it out for outsourcing because you already voted to do that,” Sellers told the council.

When it appeared the motion might come to a vote anyway, Councilman John Hale wondered whether the move was meant to prevent the city from ever reassuming control of public works.

“It’s my impression that this work will only be performed by an outside source,” said John Hale. “That’s what’s being alluded to.”

Councilman Bennie Thomas shared Hale’s concern.

“Suppose we want to take it back ourselves and save some money,” he said.

Stewart said he wanted to bring “finality” to the question of outsourcing.

Sellers explained that a vote for perpetual outsourcing would not be legally binding, as current council members have no power over how future members vote.

“I think the motion was pretty clear,” Stewart said Wednesday when asked to elaborate. “I was trying to put it to rest to decide whether we’re going to continue outsourcing (public works) or keep it in house.”

Rewis and Burch withdrew their motion and second, respectively.

The city and OMI will sit down in a workshop next Thursday, Feb. 18 at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall, to continue negotiations.