Committee approves concrete repairs at Tasty Treat over objections; members debate passing engineering costs to applicants

A Taylorville committee voted 5-2 to recommend accepting a quote from R&B Peters for concrete repairs at Tasty Treat in the amount of $11,382, to be paid by the water department. Alderman Megan Bryant and Alderman Steve Dorinez voted against the motion.

The vote followed discussion about billing for engineering review work. Alderman Bryant said she had reviewed line items in the bills packet and questioned two recent charges to Benton Associates — one listed for Taco Bell and another for a credit union project — and argued the city should consider passing the cost of engineering reviews to applicants. "I don't know why we would pay to make sure their building is built correctly," Bryant said, noting that the city collected permit fees and that at least one applicant had paid for permit square footage fees.

Alderman Larry Bud also said he had questioned several bills on the packet and that at least one item remained unclear to him, though after explanation he understood the reasoning. Despite those concerns, the committee carried the concrete repairs recommendation with a 5-2 tally.

The action will be forwarded to the full city council for final approval. Committee members also approved other consent items at the meeting, including various special events permits and personnel and equipment purchases.

Next steps: the concrete repairs quote will be included on the city council agenda; staff and the finance committee may consider options to recover engineering review costs from applicants in future permit processing.