Little Falls council approves $810,224 in bills and several public-works contracts

The Little Falls City Council on May 18 approved electronic checks and warrants totaling $810,224 and authorized several public-works and wastewater-related contracts and ratifications.

Council approved electronic checks 4228 through 4256 and checks 01/14362 through 01/14437 totaling $810,224. Staff then presented and the council voted to approve a series of procurement items:

- Pavement improvements (North Central Streets): Knife River North Central was the only responsive quote at $26,564; charged to the street improvement fund. - Jetta truck repairs: Flexible Pipe & Tool (Cold Spring) was ratified at $13,855.70 and charged to collections/equipment/repairs. - Lagoon lime excavation for the water plant: Kim and Kinman Diggers (Little Falls) was the low quote at $6,000; staff noted two quotes were solicited and the contractor was chosen based on trust and prior work to avoid bank damage. - Wage compliance monitoring services for the wastewater treatment facility phase 2 project: MKC Inc. (Stillwater) quoted $14,820 to provide required wage monitoring under project PFA funding terms. - Construction testing services for wastewater treatment facility phase 2: Braun Intertek was recommended for testing (soil, concrete, structural steel) in the amount discussed in the meeting (staff cited $7,863).

Staff explained the procurement rationale in each case: where only two quotes were solicited, staff cited prior experience, specialized equipment or timing as reasons for selection. Council approved each presented item by voice vote.

The approvals clear the way for scheduled work on street patching and continued progress on the wastewater phase 2 project.

The meeting then recessed to a closed session for personnel matters.