The Gallatin Board of Aldermen approved a three percent increase in the cost of a street resurfacing project on March 25th. The project, to be carried out by Barkley Asphalt, will now total $165,129.60. This decision came after City Administrator Lance Rains presented the contract change, as the city’s attorney advised. The adjustment was necessary because Barkley had to secure both a performance bond and a materials payment bond, not accounted for in the original bid. This requirement led to a three percent cost increase.
The initial contract price was $160,320 for the street resurfacing effort.
Rains also mentioned that Vance Brothers, originally scheduled to start the project in April or May, is now expected in June or July. The board requested that Rains communicate with Vance Brothers regarding their new timeline.
In addition, Rains reported that Midwest Injection exceeded the contracted 526 dry tons of lime sludge removal from the city’s basins, resulting in additional costs. However, due to inaccuracies with the scales, Midwest Injection charged a reduced rate of $58.87 per dry ton instead of the contracted $95. This led the board to approve the payment of the full invoice amount of $58,839.92 to Midwest Injection.
The possibility of running a newspaper advertisement to explain the pool tax appearing on the April ballot was discussed. The board believed that the advertisement would be informative for the public.
No action was taken on a proposed ordinance to authorize a 45-day public information period before making changes under the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (LAGERS). Crystal Dorrel, the City Clerk, noted the ordinance would involve adjustments to the city’s LAGERS tier system, and the board expressed interest in further discussions with LAGERS representatives.
Rains addressed a complaint about city staff damaging a mailbox with city equipment. The mailbox was replaced, and the damaged one was brought to city hall.
A potential water leak was discovered at a residence. Total H2O Solutions requested additional information from Gallatin for a lead survey, leading to the relocation of a water pit from the residence’s basement to its exterior.
In the Wastewater Department, materials were ordered to replace the line used for connections on McBee and the new construction on Corrine Street.
The Electric Department installed a new electric pole at MFA and placed electric blankets on high-voltage lines near the Presbyterian Church. The department also began a trash collection initiative.
The Street Department installed two tubes for residents in the last two weeks, including one on Berry Street for the lime storage removal project and another on Searcy Street near Jumps.
