Committee awards $3.2 million alley and sidewalk contract after debate over resident assessments

The Administration & Public Works Committee voted 3-1 to award a $3,203,481.10 contract to Alliance Contractors for the 2025 Alley and Sidewalk Improvements (Bid 25-26), after members debated whether bundling privately assessed alleys with larger city projects raised costs for individual homeowners.

Council Member Claire Kelly, who chaired the meeting in place of the absent committee chair, announced the motion and called for discussion before the committee approved the award. Public commenter Mary Rosinski raised concerns that the bid bundle included alleys in North Evanston and that residents paying 50/50 assessments could face higher per-household costs if higher-priced line items were applied to privately assessed portions of the work. "If I were having my alley redone, I'd want probably to analyze the difference between the 3 bids and maybe go with the mid bid," Rosinski said during public comment.

The nut of the committee's debate was whether combining special-assessment alley work with larger city…