Residents press council on wide bid spreads and repeated use of same engineering firm

At the council meeting several residents and council members raised concerns about procurement practices after the village engineer reported a wide range of bids for a TMF grant project.

Austin Alexander Spicer said the low bid for the TMF grant project came in at $131,564 from Montelof (MEC Underground Solutions), while the highest bid was roughly $259,000. "The low bid came in at 131,564," Spicer said, and added that the low bidders had become more competitive post‑COVID and that the firm had performed well on prior village work.

Several council members asked why bids for engineering and related services often include the same firms and whether the village fully competitively procures all aspects of projects. One resident asserted during public comment, "Is somebody getting a kickback on this?" The transcript records no formal response that evening beyond staff and the engineer explaining that many construction portions are grant-funded, that Spicer and other firms had won bids, and that some specialty items were competitively bid in the past.

Council discussion also touched on local economic development—residents argued Saint Charles' tax rate and location limit private investment, while staff pointed to recent efforts to pursue grants and private partners.

The council did not refer the procurement questions to an independent audit at the meeting; staff said they would review bid histories and noted that some services were procured through grants rather than village operating funds.