Council OKs bidding step for 16 North Sewer Separation Phase 1 project

Newark City Council on Sept. 1, 2025, adopted Resolution 25‑52 authorizing the city’s director of public service to accept bids and enter into construction contracts, subject to the proper preparation of funds, for the 16 North Sewer Separation Phase 1 project. The measure passed by roll call vote with all members recorded as voting yes.

The resolution, as read at the meeting, “authoriz[es] and direct[s] the director of public service of the city of Newark, Ohio to accept bids and enter into contracts subject to the preparation of funds for construction of the 16 North Sewer Separation phase 1 project.” The text does not specify a contract amount, engineer’s estimate, or timeline; council members did not provide additional dollar figures during the discussion.

A motion to accept Resolution 25‑52 was made and seconded, and the council called the roll. Those recorded voting yes were Mr. Labutas, Mr. Mormey, Mr. Neely, Mr. Raff, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Barker, Ms. Blunt, Mr. Schuh, Mr. Cross and Mr. Hudson. The resolution therefore passed with a 10‑0 vote.

Council materials and the resolution indicate that final contracting remains contingent on the city securing the necessary funds; the resolution explicitly conditions the contract authority on “preparation of funds.” The meeting record does not identify the funding source(s) or an estimated project budget. The city will take bids and return to council for any required appropriations or contract approvals per the city’s purchasing and contracting processes.

The council did not debate technical project details, and no public comments were made on the item during the meeting. Next steps in the publicly available record are the city’s acceptance of bids and staff reporting back to council as needed for funding or contract award approvals.