The Mentor on the Lake City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of $945,000 in bond anticipation notes to fund portions of three trunk storm sewer projects, but several councilors criticized the late timing of the paperwork and an unexplained $275,000 increase to the Southland Road project.

Why it matters: The notes finance major stormwater infrastructure — Lake Street, Pinehurst Street and Southland Road trunk storm sewers — and the council must act before the next meeting to meet funding deadlines. Members said they were surprised by the increase in the Southland project’s cost and asked why administration and engineers had not flagged the change earlier.

Councilors pressed administration for transparency after the ordinance was provided late in the meeting packet. One council member said the paperwork’s timing undercuts the three-reading transparency intended for substantial financial matters. The mayor and staff replied that higher-than-expected bids, not a process change, produced the increase.

Despite objections about notice and budget overruns, the council voted to suspend rules and adopt the ordinance in the same meeting to meet the deadline. The roll-call for suspension of rules on Ordinance 2025-O-11 recorded ayes from Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Thompson, Mr. Bittner, Ms. Wong and Mayor Johnson, with no votes from Mr. Gray and Mr. Lander (5–2). The final roll-call on adoption produced the same pattern; the ordinance passed.

Councilors asked for follow-up to explain why the engineer’s earlier estimates diverged so substantially from the bids and whether the city should rebid when a price exceeds estimates. A council member noted that when bids exceed estimates by 20% or more, statute or procurement rules may require rebidding, and urged staff to consult the law director.

Administration said the bids came in higher than the prior engineer estimates and that the city would review procurement options. The ordinance requires the city to complete the three readings on a tight deadline to preserve financing options for the sewer projects.

The ordinance passed; councilors instructed administration to provide a written explanation of the increased Southland project costs and next steps for procurement and rebidding if applicable.