Snow removal pushed back againby Nathan Arneal The North Bend City Council continued its discussion from its previous meeting on bids to handle snow removal in the city at its Nov. 4 meeting. For the first time in recent memory – at least in the 27 years Theresa Busse has been city clerk – the city received more than one bid for snow removal. Lux Sand and Gravel has been involved in snow removal in North Bend dating back to at least 1983 and has had the exclusive contract to remove snow for the past several decades. Lux submitted a bid of $195 an hour for snow removal. C-M Menn, a company out of Fremont who assists that city with its snow removal, submitted a bid of $125 an hour. Awarding the bid was tabled at the Oct. 21 meeting to gather more information on C-M Menn. Busse said she called and was told they have 40 employees that move snow, and they will leave equipment in North Bend. C-R Menn personnel was willing to sit down with the council to hear the details of the job, including where the emergency snow routes were and where to pile snow, etc. Councilman Alex Legge said he also called C-R Menn but his message was not returned. Mayor Rod Scott was in favor of accepting the lower bid from C-R Menn. “Moving snow is moving snow,” Scott said. “$70 an hour is too much difference. I want to spend our money fairly. The people of North Bend are getting hit pretty hard by water bills and all that. It’s easy to spend somebody else’s money and spend an extra $70 an hour, and I don’t agree with that.” Legge said Lux has subcontracted with several local men to make sure the city’s needs are met. If Lux doesn’t get the bid, Legge said, those men will find other work and it is unlikely Lux would submit a bid in the future if something goes wrong with a different company. Legge made a motion to accept the bid of Lux Sand and Gravel. Councilmen Waylon Fisher and Ken Streff voted no, while Chuck Krenzer and Legge voted yes. Mayor Scott broke the tie with a no vote to defeat the motion. Streff said he was uncomfortable awarding the bid to anyone without a written contract and a list of expectations. Busse said no written contract existed because Lux had done the job so long it was just expected that he knew what to do. In response to a question by Streff, Busse said a good snow storm could cost the city $20,000 in clean up. Fischer made a motion to accept the C-R Menn bid. “I’m not going to vote for anything if we’re going to have possibly $20,000 of taxpayer dollars going out to somebody, I want it written down,” Streff said. “I’m not going to vote in favor of anything until we have an actual signed contract.”. Read the full story in the print or e-edition. <<Back to the front page |