Council approves Main Street light replacement to avoid imminent tariff increase; purchase capped at $137,000

The McHenry City Council on March 3 authorized the purchase of replacement streetlight poles and heads for Main Street from Northwest Electric and approved a capital‑fund budget amendment, capping the purchase at a not‑to‑exceed $137,000 to avoid an anticipated 25 percent tariff increase.

City staff told the council the lighting project has been under capital planning for some time but was moved forward because $136,609 was quoted for the poles and heads and a 25 percent tariff was expected to take effect imminently. Staff said locking in the price before the tariff would avoid roughly $34,000 in added cost and that a pole failure over the prior weekend underscored the need to accelerate replacement work.

“We thought this was a good opportunity to have some cost savings of a project that we think would have a really huge impact down there,” Director Bill Hobson said, noting the poles date from the late 1980s or early 1990s and that one had recently fallen after a windstorm. Staff said they had coordinated closely with the manufacturer and local rep to expedite the order so the manufacturer would honor the quoted price without the tariff.

Council added a not‑to‑exceed dollar limit to the purchase motion. The vote was unanimous among members present and included a direction to remove banners from existing poles as a precaution until replacements are installed and inspected.

The approved action funds the purchase from the capital needs and replacement fund and authorizes staff to proceed with the vendor to secure delivery and installation arrangements. Staff said they will continue inspections and remove any banners on aging poles as an interim safety step.