Joliet council approves $6.6M–$9.3M water contracts, adopts lift‑assist ambulance fee, schedules Peregrine demo
Loading...
Summary
On Feb. 3 the Joliet City Council approved major water‑main and engineering contracts totaling millions, adopted an ordinance to impose lift‑assist ambulance fees under House Bill 2336, accepted a $50,000 state grant to buy 14 police drones and postponed a Peregrine Technologies contract pending a Feb. 17 demonstration.
The Joliet City Council on Feb. 3 approved several large infrastructure and public‑safety items, including multimillion‑dollar water‑main contracts and an ordinance imposing lift‑assist ambulance fees, and moved a police‑technology purchase to a public demonstration.
Council voted to award the Glenwood and West Acres Water Main Improvements contract to Austin Tyler Construction for $6,577,723.51 and separately approved a $9,302,064.21 contract for the Larkin/Theodore Glenwood water‑main project. The council also authorized a $4,573,892.88 professional services agreement with Burns & McDonnell for construction‑related engineering tied to the city’s 2026 water‑main replacement and lead service line replacement programs.
In the public‑safety budget, the council approved new purchases and service agreements the committees had reviewed: a professional ambulance‑billing contract not to exceed $1,000,000 for 2026–2028, the purchase of four Horton ambulances ($1,571,356 total) and thermal imagers ($91,140). City staff recommended the ambulance billing contract and vehicle purchases as cost‑saving updates to department operations.
Council also adopted an ordinance amending Chapter 12, Section 13(g) to impose lift‑assist fees in accordance with Illinois House Bill 2336, a measure the fire department and councilmembers said is aimed at reducing repeated ambulance responses to assisted‑living facilities.
The council accepted a $50,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity that staff said will provide 14 drones to the police department. Separately, council approved a memorandum of understanding with the Will County Sheriff’s Office to arrange narcotics incineration at no charge to the city.
On procurement oversight, the public safety committee and the council said they did not have complete information on a proposed Peregrine Technologies contract. The council postponed final action and directed Deputy Chief Bob Botom to provide a demonstration for the council and the public on Feb. 17.
Council members who spoke framed the package as investments in core services and infrastructure. During committee reports, the public service committee said the water‑main work will cover roughly 20 miles of replacement and that engineering contracts were in line with industry standards.
The council approved the consent agenda containing a series of smaller purchases and change orders, and several committee‑recommended contracts moved forward by voice vote.
The next scheduled step for the Peregrine item is the Feb. 17 demonstration; other contract awards and adopted ordinances take effect under the city’s normal procurement and implementation processes.
