Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 1117 |
| Work Detail | Road repairs are on the way for more than five miles worth of city streets. The city council approved work contracts worth more than $1 million. These are the same plans the council rejected at the beginning of the month. So why did they flip-flop? For the city to get to this point, it has been a rough road. The city manager says he was trying to get the most bang for their buck. But even now that the council's given the plans the green light, not everyone thinks they're using good business practices. Decatur's new five-cent gas tax is finally being put to work. Street repairs are supposed to start almost immediately. But before we can tell you that story, we have to tell you this one. When three weeks ago, the city council shot down plans to approve road work bids. "It makes the council look like now that they have a source of income to work on the roads, they can't pull together and get the work started." The council was concerned they weren't getting the best deal. City manager Tim Gleason says he was the driving force behind that. Then-- "The council, specifically the mayor, who was a 'no' vote at the last meeting, asked that a reconsider be placed." And so it was-- the bids were back on the agenda. City leaders say they didn't think rejecting them was the best idea after all. "By doing that, by rejecting these bids, we run the risk of one, not completing the work in 2016. Also the prices could change on what the bids are." During the second discussion on the same bids, the council debated some other concerns. One is a requirement for the contractors to employ a percentage of minority workers or businesses for the projects. At least one of the bids didn't meet that requirement. Council member Chris Funk says they might have be able to, if they had a chance to appeal the city's decision on that. "The only regress is to sue the city of Decatur, and that seems outlandish." His was the only "no" vote. The other five present members voted to start road work as soon as possible. "The contractors, if they aren't present tonight, we're gonna notify them tomorrow. Then get them mobilized and get started." The city manager says, now that they know how much money the motor fuel tax brings in, they can make plans for road repairs in 2017. He says that work will likely be worth more than $3 million. The council also decided to limit the number of licenses for video gaming parlors. The council says some of them have had a negative impact on the local economy, and that it's created a public health concern. There are currently 23 licensed gambling parlors in Decatur. The council says they want to cap it at 30. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Construction |
| Entry Date | 02 Sep 2016 |
| Source | http://www.illinoishomepage.net/news/local-news/city-council-approves-road-repairs |
