Council member presses contractor Bock Inc. for clearer sludge reports, requests in-person explanation

Council Member Chris Colomer on July 22 urged the city to demand clearer reporting and an in-person explanation from contractor Bock Inc. over sludge management after reviewing recent waste reports.

Colomer told the Kewanee City Council that the city’s numbers show roughly 800,000 gallons of sludge generated annually, with about 600,000 gallons removed each year, leaving roughly 200,000 gallons accumulating. "We should never be forced into a situation to spend $90,000 to fix a problem we didn’t cause," Colomer said, and asked that Bock Inc. attend the next council meeting to explain its reports and operations.

City Manager Gary Bradley said he would check contract details and whether errors-and-omissions coverage applied and confirmed the city is five years into a 10-year contract with Bock. Council Member Michael Yaklich and Council Member Michael Komnick supported asking the contractor to present a clearer, itemized report at the next meeting so councilors can understand removal volumes, costs and operational responsibility.

Colomer also raised concerns that an employee at the contracted facility had not been properly certified in the past; he said that issue and the apparent discrepancy in volumes reinforced the need for the contractor to appear before the council. The council directed staff to request that Bock Inc. provide a readable, itemized sludge report and to be present to answer questions at the next scheduled meeting.

The request for contractor attendance is procedural, not a formal change to the contract; no new appropriation or penalty was adopted at the meeting. The council did not vote on an enforcement action at the July 22 session.

The council adjourned at 8:01 p.m.; staff said Colomer would receive documented reports before the next meeting and that Bock Inc. had been asked to appear.