Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Municipal Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lincoln council approves $2.25 million in GO bonds for 5th Street, awards $1.66M engineering contract and clears multiple routine items
Summary
The Lincoln City Council on March 16 approved issuing $2.25 million in general obligation bonds for the 5th Street road project, awarded a construction engineering agreement not to exceed $1.66 million, and approved a series of permits, CD renewals, contracts and a loan for an Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Depot.
The Lincoln City Council approved financing and contracting measures on March 16 that clear the way for the 5th Street road project and several routine municipal items.
Council members voted to issue general obligation bonds for an additional $2,250,000 to fund the 5th Street Road project and approved a construction engineering agreement with Crawford, Murphy & Tilley not to exceed $1,660,000. The financing and the engineering contract were presented and passed during the regular meeting by roll call.
Why it matters: The bond issuance and engineering agreement provide the immediate funding and professional services authorization the city said are necessary to begin preconstruction and construction activities on 5th Street. According to city staff, a pre-construction meeting with the Illinois Department of Transportation and contractors is scheduled for March 27, and crews aim to begin work in early April. "We have a pre construction meeting with IDOT, the contractors on the March 27," said Walt, a city staff member. "I know ... they wanna get started the first of the month, somewhere around the fifth or the sixth. We'll try to keep citizens updated because there's gonna be a big change in traffic flow at times."
The council also approved a package of other measures on the consent and regular agendas, most with little discussion. Actions approved included:
• A consent agenda covering payment of bills, minutes from prior meetings and a request from the Lincoln Park District to close city streets on Aug. 28 for a 5K race connected to Balloons Over 66 (motion passed on roll call).
• A permit for the fifteenth annual Up and Smoke on the Square barbecue competition (council recorded one abstention; motion passed).
• Renewal of two certificates of deposit — $367,141.20 for nine months at 3.65% and $363,874.38 for 12 months at 3.6% — both approved.
• An intergovernmental agreement with the Lincoln Park District for mowing city parks, approved by roll call.
• A loan agreement with Heartland Bank and Trust Company to finance the Abraham Lincoln statue at the Lincoln Depot, approved by roll call.
• A proposal from Lexipol for a fire policy manual not to exceed $18,016.80, and approval of a revised city employee handbook; both passed by roll call.
Votes at a glance (key items): • GO bonds — $2,250,000 for 5th Street project: approved by roll call. • Construction engineering agreement — Crawford, Murphy & Tilley, not to exceed $1,660,000: approved by roll call. • Loan agreement — Heartland Bank and Trust Company for statue at Lincoln Depot: approved by roll call. • Up and Smoke permit: approved, one abstention recorded.
What comes next: Staff said they will notify residents about expected traffic changes when construction begins. The council recessed into executive session for litigation at 6:18 p.m.; no further public action was taken at the meeting.
Attribution: Quotes and remarks in this article come from the meeting transcript and are attributed to named speakers or to the functional labels used in the transcript (Walt; Treasurer Ocasio; City Clerk Bateman; Mayor Perez; Chair).
