Round Lake Beach council approves vac-truck lease, utility contracts and multiple equipment purchases

The Round Lake Beach Village Council approved $2,678,751.26 in disbursements and a package of capital purchases and contracts at its Jan. 27 meeting, voting to lease a combination vacuum/flusher truck, add a change order to complete a lead-service-line survey and award multiple emergency utility repair contracts.

The expenditures figure was read by Director of Finance McGinley, who noted a clerical discrepancy: "the number that you just said is actually supposed to be $2,678,751.26. We're actually approving 2¢ more than we should." The council directed staff to correct the error.

Director of Public Works Kristin Fritz told the board the village will lease a new combination vacuum/flusher/vacuum truck through Standard Equipment for a not-to-exceed price of $613,102.50. Fritz said the current unit is well past its typical seven-year service life and that repairs have exceeded $65,840 over the past five years. The proposed five-year lease includes a $95,000 maintenance program with quarterly checkups and an option at term to release or purchase the vehicle.

Fritz also explained a $7,975 change order to McVac Hydro Excavating tied to a lead-service-line survey required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. The village had budgeted $50,000 in grant funds for the survey; repairs and timing related to the public-works equipment outage increased the contractor's bill and raised the contract total to $57,975.

The council approved resolutions to contract with five excavators for emergency underground utility repairs — Sunday Services, Beam Enterprises, McVac Hydro Excavating, Ganziana Sewer & Water, and Campanella & Sons — with annual increases capped at 5 percent tied to the Chicago CPI. Fritz said in-house crews handle most repairs but the contracts provide access to outside crews for complex emergencies.

Other operational items approved included:

- A $23,300 contract with SRSD Consulting LLC for leadership training for department heads and deputy department heads; Director McGinley said the sessions will cover leadership concepts, self-awareness and emotional-intelligence testing.

- Purchase and replacement of server/workstation equipment, including a virtual server solution through Impact Networks LLC for up to $10,370 and desktop/laptop purchases from CDW-G not to exceed $33,747.36, with an additional approximately $7,242 proposed for two Microsoft Surface Pro devices.

- Replacement of two unit heaters at the Lotus water tower, funded at a not-to-exceed $30,265. Fritz said the vendor quoted $27,515 and staff added a 10 percent contingency for unforeseen circumstances.

- Tuition reimbursement of $1,418.75 for Scott Nielsen, the village's recently hired operations superintendent, to cover a master's-course semester that was part of his hiring package.

All items were moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Trustee Ibarra commonly made motions and Trustee Husk and Trustee Hilsheim frequently seconded; the board announced that the motions carried for each item.

The council also noted several large disbursements included in the expenditures vote: an IPBC employee-benefits payment of $135,511.52, bank payments to BMO/Allegiant Bank of Chicago for bond principal and interest, a Lake County sewer usage and surcharge payment of $269,000, and an insurance renewal from West Insurance Agency for worker's compensation and related policies.

The board discussed none of these items further in public comment before voting. Mayor Nicholls and department directors said the purchases and contracts are necessary to maintain operations and comply with state deadlines.

Less urgent agenda items, including committee reports and proclamations honoring employee service, followed the vote.