• The local company was awarded the bid.  They received an overview of what printing they KNEW the County was going to do (jobs that recur each year), and bought all of the envelopes, paper, etc., for the known upcoming jobs.
   

 

• The current County Collector engaged a different, unapproved company, to do the printing for their office (Sumner One, P. O. Box 5180, St. Louis, MO 63139-0180) in the amount of $22,428.80.  (If you rewatch the debates on Lake TV, you will hear the current Collector admit to this, complaining about returned trays of envelopes from the approved vendor.  When a vendor makes a mistake, you call them and have them fix it, you don't hire someone else, especially someone who is not approved, or without special prior authorization.)
   

 

• When the bill came through for the unapproved vendor, Jimmy Laughlin signed and approved the purchase order as meeting the criteria for payment, which it did not.  It should be noted that Laughlin signed the purchase order before the service was provided.  He could have, and should have told the current Collector that they could not use the unapproved vendor.
   

 

• When the approved vendor became aware of the situation, the County was forced to reimburse the approved vendor for the same items the current Collector had bought from the unapproved vendor, costing the County double what it should have been.

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• Jimmy Laughlin allowed the preauthorization of the order for the services as well as payment of this bill, neither of  which  met​ the financial requirements for payment in Camden County.  In fact, it appears that there was collusion between the current Collector and Laughlin to use the unapproved vendor and cover up the fact that the transaction was against County Commission order and Camden County financial protocols, which Laughlin is supposed to be enforcing.  A copy of the purchase order signed by the current Collector and Laughlin is found below