Council awards contracts for upcoming projects

The Clear Lake City Council awarded several contracts at its regular meeting held Monday, Feb. 20.

The Council entered into a professional services agreement with Veenstra & Kimm, of Mason City, involving the proposed FY 2018 Street Resurfacing Project.  The agreement for the proposed project is for an amount not to exceed $69,900.

The scope of the project entails the resurfacing of approximately 66 blocks of various streets in the City with a two-inch hot mix asphalt overlay for the width of the existing streets.  The proposed project schedule calls for a project bid letting by June 15, with an award of contract on June 19.  The engineer’s preliminary estimate of the probable cost of construction is $1,383,440.

A project bid letting was held on Feb. 15 and five bids were received for a Water Treatment Plant Chlorine Gas Code Upgrade Project. The lowest bid was submitted by Henkel Construction, of Mason City, in the amount of $362,900, which is 5 percent above the engineer’s estimate of the probable cost of construction of $345,500.  The Council accepted the bid and expects construction to begin about April 10. The project is to be completed by Aug. 18.

The Council also  approved the purchase of a 2017 Ford F-250 with utility box from Stivers Ford, of Waukee, for $26,302 for the truck, and from Crysteel Equipment, of Lake Crystal, Minn., for $13,835 for the box and equipment, with painting for a total cost of $40,737. The Council was informed that quotes for the truck were solicited from local dealers, however, the quote from Stivers was the state bid and was the lowest quote received.

2018 tax rate

The City will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 6, about its 2018 Fiscal Year Budget proposal.

City Administrator Scott Flory presented the proposed budget to the Council and explained the proposed City tax rate for the 2018 fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2017 and ending on June 30, 2018, is $9.80 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.  The rate will mean that the City’s share of the overall tax rate is proposed to decrease for the second consecutive year.

The proposed FY 18 budget reflects total expenditures among the various programs of slightly over $14 million; of which $8 million is directed towards operations and maintenance; $5.4 million is directed towards capital; $635,000 is directed towards debt service.