(Spirit Lake)– A recent change in state law that prohibits cities from bidding on projects that exceed 100-thousand dollars could mean some big changes for the city of Spirit Lake.
The city in the past did many of those projects, such as extending infrastructure to new subdivisions, on its own. The feeling when the practice was first implemented years ago was that the city could do the projects cheaper by utilizing its own manpower and equipment instead of bidding it out. That philosophy has changed though as the political makeup of the city council changed over the years.
While the city could still submit competitive quotes for projects between 40-thousand and 100-thousand dollars, councilman Jerry Harbst told fellow council members Tuesday evening he feels it’s a good time to decide whether the city should be involved in any new construction projects at all in the future.
The council took no action, agreeing to take it under advisement as part of the upcoming budget process.
