Mount Vernon council adopts ordinances and contracts including AI pilot, pump station upgrades and firefighter contract

The Mount Vernon City Council on Feb. 26 approved a slate of ordinances and resolutions covering budget transfers, equipment purchases, vendor contracts and personnel actions. Most items passed on unanimous roll-call votes with little or no discussion.

Key actions approved (summary):

- Item 1 — Ordinance authorizing a 2024 budget transfer for expenditures (Department of Management Services). Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Item 2 — Ordinance retroactively awarding Dell VxRail support contract to Softchoice and authorizing payment from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved. Funding source on the record: ARPA.

- Item 3 — Ordinance authorizing the mayor to enter into an agreement with Sunlight Technologies Inc. (doing business as Readily) and to make payment for a pilot program to create an artificial-intelligence environment for the city. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved. (Transcript did not specify a funding line for this pilot.)

- Item 4 — Ordinance authorizing disposal of damaged and nonfunctional equipment (Department of Management Services). Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Item 5 — Ordinance authorizing purchase of one combo-vacuum truck, funded by state aid sewer capital, and two equipment sewers (Department of Public Works). Passed by roll call; outcome: approved. Funding source on the record: state aid sewer capital.

- Item 6 — Ordinance awarding general-construction contract for the Edison Avenue Pump Station Upgrade Project. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Item 7 — Ordinance awarding equipment procurement for the Edison Avenue Pump Station Upgrade Project. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Add-on — Resolution appointing R. Thomas Umstead to the Cable Television Advisory Committee for a two-year term effective Feb. 26, 2025, to Feb. 25, 2027. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Item 8 — Ordinance granting a 12-month leave of absence to Miguel Wolf from his permanent position as an office assistant to serve as building clerk within the Department of Buildings. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved. A council member asked whether an existing list existed; no definitive answer was recorded on the floor and a follow-up was promised.

- Item 9 — Ordinance ratifying and approving the contract between the City of Mount Vernon and the Uniformed Firefighters Association, Local 107. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved. Council members expressed hope for similar progress on police-union negotiations.

- Item 10 — Ordinance authorizing the mayor to execute a contract with MRB Group (engineering, architecture and surveying) for mapping the entire city. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

- Item 12 (other add-on) — Resolution appointing Constance "Jerry" Post to the Mount Vernon Economic Development Task Force (covered in separate article). Passed by roll call 3–1; outcome: approved.

- Item 13 — Resolution appointing council president Danielle Brown and Pro Tem Edward Poteet to the city Economic Development Task Force. Passed by roll call; outcome: approved.

Most items had minimal floor debate; presenters from city departments read item descriptions into the record before votes. The meeting record shows the council concluded the agenda after the votes and moved to closing remarks.

Votes at a glance: All items listed above passed as recorded on the Feb. 26 roll calls; specific roll-call tallies were recorded on the official meeting log for each item. Where recorded on the transcript, votes were unanimous among members present except item 12 (3–1).