The Carroll City Council will consider awarding a contract at Monday’s meeting for the proposed $5.275 million 12th Street reconstruction project that is scheduled to begin later this year. City Manager Aaron Kooiker says he is happy to report that bids came in significantly under the engineer’s initial estimate.
Carroll and many cities like it are grappling with aging infrastructure. Many of the community’s main throughfares were constructed around a century ago, and to avoid falling behind on upkeep, construction projects of this scale will be necessary at least every two to four years. Funding for 12th Street is split across eight sources, making it challenging for staff to juggle. This is Carroll’s second full-depth replacement effort under Kooiker’s tenure, and he says the staff is getting more efficient as they get more familiar with substantial road construction planning.
The council will host the public hearing on the project’s plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimated cost during Monday’s meeting. They are expected to award a contract to the low bidder, Hulstein Excavating, LLC, immediately afterward. Kooiker adds that a second public hearing has been scheduled to vacate a portion of S. East Street.
Barring any major objections during that hearing, the council will consider a resolution formally releasing the property to the Kuemper Catholic School System for its expansion scheduled to begin this summer. Other items of note on the agenda include council approval of collective bargaining agreements with the public works staff and Carroll Police Department, which landed at wage increases of 3.0 percent and 2.5 percent for public works and 3.5 percent for police. The council will also consider the installation of an accessible crossing signal, at a cost of $12,900, for the Main and Clark Street intersections on U.S. Highway 30, and set a public hearing date for the city’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 property tax levy. The city is proposing a rate of $11.25108 per $100,000 of taxable assessed valuation, with a tentative public hearing date on the levy set for March 23. The Monday, Feb. 23 meeting is open to the public and will be live-streamed via the city’s YouTube channel. Links to the agenda and video are included below.
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