La Porte City BID board approves seasonal leaf‑pickup and snow‑removal contracts
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Summary
The La Porte City BID board approved two contracts with a local contractor for seasonal leaf pickup (not to exceed $5,000) and snow removal at hourly rates of $90 and $147, respectively; board discussed coordination challenges with the state highway department.
The La Porte City Business Improvement District Board voted to approve two seasonal maintenance contracts with Amy, a maintenance contractor, for leaf pickup and snow removal. The board approved an hourly rate of $90 for sidewalk leaf pickup with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $5,000, and an hourly rate of $147 for snow removal covering 16 square blocks, three cutouts and clearing around fire hydrants and crosswalks.
The contracts were introduced during public comment by Amy, who described the scope and the rates. “I wrote up a contract, and I just wrote down $90 an hour,” Amy said of the leaf‑removal proposal, and she described the snow‑removal offer as “$147 an hour” to create pedestrian pathways and keep key access points clear. The board recorded a motion to approve both contracts; the motion, a second and an affirmative vote were recorded and the motion carried.
Board members questioned how the snow plan would coordinate with the Iowa Department of Transportation’s operations on Lincoln Way. Amy told the board that the state’s plowing puts snow onto sidewalks and that past attempts to have the state push snow to the roadway center were inconsistent. She said the city street department and BID staff sometimes work overnight to relocate compacted snow and ice from sidewalks to the street so the street crews can collect it.
Amy said equipment for the work is the same as in prior seasons, but that the BID will use more walk‑behind snow blowers where all‑terrain vehicles cannot pass because of new pole placements and planter constraints. She also noted that because of timing of leaf fall in previous seasons, the BID spent roughly $1,500 last year for about 20 hours of leaf pickup and completed the work in a single visit; she cautioned that this year’s needs might differ.
The board approved the contracts during the meeting after questions about prior costs and equipment. The contracts will be implemented by the contractor under the BID board’s oversight.
