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Red Bud council approves retaining wall and splash-pad sign after debate over parking-lot funding
Summary
At its city council meeting, Red Bud approved a lesser retaining wall and a splash-pad sign (including symbols requested by the police chief) while debating whether to use motor-fuel-tax dollars or general-fund money for RadSpark parking-lot repairs.
The Red Bud City Council voted to move forward with a reduced retaining wall for the RadSpark parking lot and approved a splash-pad sign that will incorporate safety symbols requested by the police chief.
Council discussion focused on how to pay for the parking-lot work. Public-works staff said the cost estimate for the retaining wall itself is $10,500 and that $11,900 remains in this year’s parks budget to help cover work at Ratts Park. Staff also noted the city holds liquid motor-fuel-tax (MFT) reserves — about $442,000 available and a $1,000,000 certificate of deposit — but cautioned that projects using MFT must be formally bid and that using MFT may add engineering costs.
"If you were to use MFT funds, the hard bid you have in front of you can't even be considered because that has to formally go out for bid," said Josh, public-works staff, explaining that engineering and formal bidding could raise the total cost and extend the timeline. He added that the switch to formal bidding could add roughly $15,000 in engineering fees.
Several council members said they preferred to avoid using MFT for the immediate work because of bid and engineering requirements. "I personally do not want to use MFT funds," said an alderman, citing the committee recommendation to proceed with general-fund option A. Another council member raised concern about the city’s ability to use MFT funds in future months and asked whether those dollars might be recalled if left unused; staff said they had not seen that occur.
On the splash pad sign, a resident urged adding clear symbols to prohibit firearms and knives. The council approved proceeding with the sign with the chief’s suggested adjustments.
The motion to proceed with option A — a lesser retaining wall funded partly by a $10,000 transfer from the Thielen Fund plus existing park dollars — passed on a roll-call vote. Councilmembers were told construction would likely close the lot for a few days while crews installed base and surface courses, and staff said they would schedule work to minimize conflicts with planned events.
Next steps include completing line-item transfers to use available park funds, finalizing engineering as required, and scheduling the work to limit disruption to park users.
