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Meriden council approves PLA on CIF bid after tie broken by mayor
Summary
After heated debate and public comment, the Meriden City Council voted to authorize linking a project labor agreement (PLA) to the CIF application for the 165 Miller Street renovation; the vote was tied and the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote in favor.
The Meriden City Council voted to allow a project labor agreement (PLA) to be checked on the Community Investment Fund (CIF) application for the 165 Miller Street renovation after a contested debate that split the council.
Supporters, including the majority leader, told council a PLA could improve the city's competitive score for the roughly $11.1 million CIF request for the health department's first-floor renovation and help secure state funding that would reduce the city's out-of-pocket cost. "If we're going to sit here and talk about costs and the cost to the taxpayer, but we're successful in getting an $11,100,000 grant to pay almost a 100% of the construction for this project, cost to the taxpayer is really a nonissue," a councilor said during debate.
Opponents said PLAs can raise costs and reduce competition, excluding some local contractors. Councilor Zakrzycki said he heard from constituents and found the public broadly opposed, arguing that "a PLA increases cost by reducing competition" and that it can create a perception of favoritism among contractors. Public comment earlier in the meeting amplified that concern: Jesse Franklin said the PLA's local-hire percentages ("30% local labor" and small veteran percentages) were "a sham" and urged the city to prioritize Meriden businesses.
Councilors attempted to weigh the potential local economic benefits of a PLA against concerns about higher costs and reduced contractor competition. After full debate, the council was evenly split on the motion. The mayor then cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of authorizing the PLA checkbox on the CIF application, and the motion passed.
Next steps: the city manager will proceed with the CIF application for 165 Miller Street. If the CIF funds are awarded and the city accepts them, the administration indicated the PLA would be tied to the CIF-funded project; the council noted that if the city ultimately bonds the project without CIF funds, it would not be bound to use a PLA.
(Reporting note: quotes and positions are drawn directly from council debate and public comment recorded in the meeting transcript.)
