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La Porte City bid board approves one‑year maintenance contract with Mofield Property Services
Summary
The La Porte City bid board voted June 8 to approve a one‑year maintenance contract with Mofield Property Services after the prior summer contractor was terminated; the board also discussed an emergency snow‑removal option to help downtown businesses during unexpected storms.
La Porte City — The bid board voted June 8 to approve a one‑year service agreement with Mofield Property Services to provide downtown maintenance for the coming year, board members said.
The board took up the issue after its prior contractor for summer cleanup was terminated May 21. Jamie, a city staff member in the engineering department, told the board the bid board and the previous vendor had ended the contract and recommended bringing Mofield back to finish the summer work.
Amy Mofield, representing Mofield Property Services, said the firm has addressed most weed‑management and general maintenance issues since returning and proposed a one‑year contract so the board can plan and budget. "A longer term agreement would help us ensure that the progress already made is maintained and the bid continues to receive a reliable, consistent service," she said.
Board members discussed cost and scope. Mofield offered a reduced weekly maintenance rate of $5.25 under a one‑year contract (down from a current summer rate the board cited as $6.75), and said watering is included at $4.50 per planter. The contractor described the baseline summer workload as roughly 15 hours per week and noted fall and winter work would involve different hourly rates.
The board also heard that Mofield submitted recent invoices for work this spring: sidewalk maintenance and extra cleanup invoices of $2,025 and waterings totaling about $3,300, for a combined invoice amount presented to the board of $5,003.73.
Downtown business owners raised concerns about when the contractor clears sidewalks during snowfall. One proprietor said calling off morning service can make sidewalks hazardous for early‑opening businesses; the board and Mofield discussed possible options to allow additional daytime clearing at extra cost. Chair said the board will explore an "emergency snow" arrangement and seek partners or other boards to help fund episodic daytime removal so the city is not solely bearing the cost.
After discussion, a board member moved to approve the one‑year contract with Mofield; it was seconded and approved by voice vote.
The board did not finalize a separate emergency‑snow policy at the meeting; members asked staff to explore funding partners and bring options back for consideration. The board is scheduled to meet next on July 13.
