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"I want to make the council aware of something that is bothering
me," he said, "something I regret in respect to the Broadway
project."
Wilmert was referring to a vote taken at the Aug. 2 voting
session, when P.H. Boughton won the bid for the Broadway Street
overlay project by unanimous vote. The firm was the low bidder, with
Illinois Valley Paving being the only other bidder, coming in at
$614,322.26.
Wilmert said he felt like he had made an uninformed decision, which
was his own fault, but in hindsight he feels that the council should
revisit this topic and consider whether or not this project should
be put on hold.
He noted that with the tight financial situation the city is in,
holding on to cash on hand is important even if it is designated
funding that cannot be added to the general expense lines.
He asked the council to consider putting a vote to rescind on
next week's agenda.
The work on Broadway would come from the non-home-rule tax fund,
which is designated for use only with infrastructure projects.
However, the money is held in the city's composite account and has
been a primary factor that has kept the bank account in the black
while the general fund balance is in the red.
One of the first barriers that came up on rescinding the vote was
voiced by city attorney Bill Bates, who said that because there had
been an acceptance of a low bid on the project, he wasn't sure it
was legal to rescind this particular vote.
The question was then asked whether or not Boughton has received
a signed contract from the city, and Mark Mathon, the city's
engineer, said that to date he has not sent Boughton any signed
confirmation.
As the discussion continued, Treasurer Chuck Conzo said that even
if the money is designated, it is still a good idea to have some
sort of contingency fund. He recalled a time in the past when a
sinkhole took out part of Logan Street. He said that those are the
things that cannot be planned for but have to be repaired. With the
city running so close to the cuff on funding, money to do an
emergency repair might be hard to come by.
Wilmert also said that he didn't think Broadway was a complete
shambles and he felt it could wait.
Tracy Jackson, street and alley superintendent, when asked for
his opinion, said he felt there was at least a 900-foot stretch near
Limit Street that was in desperate need of repair.
It was discussed whether or not the city could back away from the
original plan of approximately 4,200 feet of road work and do only
the sections that Jackson and Mathon might consider to be in
desperate need.
Alderwoman Marty Neitzel spoke out on that, saying that
oftentimes when doing something like this, "piecemeal" projects
ended up being more costly than complete projects.
Other discussion on the matter included the mention that Broadway
is a major artery into the downtown area and that neglecting that
road would be detrimental to downtown businesses.
Alderwoman Joni Tibbs then mentioned that perhaps there are other
arteries in greater need of repair than Broadway. She mentioned
specifically Union Street north of Keokuk, and learned that there is
a plan for that stretch of street that includes sewer work. The idea
is that the sewer work would be done, and then the road will be
repaired.
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Aldlerman Buzz Busby said that holding on to that money would
have no effect on the city's financial issues because it cannot be
used for general obligations. However, Wilmert countered that it was
still money in the bank.
Snyder clarified Wilmert’s statement, saying that even though the
money could not be used, it is in the composite account and supports
the bank balance in the absence of general fund money.
Busby then told the council that the city has received money, and
currently the general fund is in the black.
Conzo also commented on that, saying he would give a full report
next week, but right now there is money in the general fund. He
noted a few payments that have been received from the state, but he
also issued a warning.
He said that the state is in a new year, and right now they seem
to be doing well at covering some old obligations. However, that
won't hold. The state is still out of money, and they will revert to
a nonpayment status that could end up being worse than the city has
experienced in the past.
In
the end Alderman Tom O’Donohue asked Wilmert if he wanted to put a
vote to rescind on the agenda, and Wilmert said yes.
In the meantime, Bates will need to find out for sure if the vote
is legal. He also told the council that if it is legal, then the
vote to rescind will have to carry by a two-thirds vote of all
elected aldermen, regardless of how many may be present for the
vote.
This is the second time in his career as alderman that Wilmert
has asked for a vote to be rescinded. The first came when the city
approved a traffic light at the intersection of Fifth and College.
When that vote took place, it was not passed by a two-thirds
majority; thus, it failed.
Wilmert said that if the vote fails this time, that's all right,
but he just could not in good conscience move away from this without
at least trying to correct what he believes was an error.
[By NILA SMITH] |
