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Council awards cemetery mowing contract to Earthworks Services after debate over lower bids
Summary
Council approved a two‑cemetery mowing contract award to Earthworks Services LLC despite two lower bids; staff cited equipment and crew capacity reasons and council approved the recommendation 6–1.
Council considered bids to provide mowing services at Eastmount and Forest Park cemeteries and approved awarding the contract to Earthworks Services LLC, citing performance history, larger crews and equipment capacity as justification despite lower bids from other vendors.
Brett, who presented the procurement, said the city received about 10 bids and ranked vendors on business location, price and prior performance. "We had 3 groups that came in... They all ranked number 1 in points with SimplyGrass, Landers Lawn, Barbers or Barbers and then Earthworks Services LLC," he said, and explained that Earthworks operates a highway division and can provide backup crews when needed. He warned that some low bidders use residential equipment and that the city had terminated a past low‑cost contractor when performance proved inadequate.
One councilor who lives adjacent to Eastmount said, "I personally do not wanna roll the dice," supporting the higher‑capacity vendor choice. Council debated cost differences and whether to retry a lower‑cost approach; staff said they could re-evaluate procurement but recommended the award to preserve quality. The resolution approving the mowing agreements passed 6–1.
