LIVERMORE – Selectpersons agreed Monday to have voters decide whether to require all non-emergency contracted work of more than $2,500 to be put out for bids.

Board administrative assistant Kurt Schaub said Tuesday that resident Michael Shea presented the select board with a petition with 335 names Monday night. Shea said he collected the signatures, 65 more than he needed, in front of the town office on Election Day.

He said Tuesday that the town has not been putting everything out to bid, and he’s hoping that if it does, local contractors will have a chance to get the work.

“To me it would be better to keep the money in town,” Shea said.

Schaub said the board acknowledged that perhaps “we can do things better, and I have been asked to look into other municipal purchasing policies to see if any might be appropriate for Livermore.”

The town “does not have a written policy when it comes to purchasing in general,” he said, “but we do make every effort to shop our purchases giving preference to local people wherever possible. At times, it is based on who is available, when we need it done and price.”

In October, C.H. Stevenson Inc. of Wayne was hired to replace two culverts on River Road for $8,100 including paving. The town bought the culverts because it gets a better price than a contractor, Schaub said.

“We didn’t get quotes,” he explained. “We have a relationship with that company. We are familiar with their work. The price was reasonable and we knew that it would be done quickly.”

It was done in two days, he said.

On that road alone, there are five excavating companies and none of them was asked to give an estimate, Shea said.

Schaub said in most cases more than one quote is solicited to do town work.

Voters will decide the issue at the town meeting in June.