MENDOTA – The Mendota City Council awarded a bid and announced a date for bid openings at its Sept. 17 regular meeting.

Alderman John Hessenberger said that SKI Sealcoating & Maintenance, Inc., of LaSalle turned in the low bid among three bidders for Phase II of the Mendota sanitary pump station and associated piping for the new ADM flour mill facility. The bid of $105,000 was accepted by the council.

Hessenberger said bids will be accepted for demolition and associated work at the Emerson Tidd property at the southeast corner of 13^th Avenue and Washington Street. Underground storage tank removal bids will be opened at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27 and house demolition and site restoration bids will be opened at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 27.

Alderman Bill Hunt began discussion on a vehicle policy for employees. The discussion centered around whether a city-owned vehicle could be used to transport fire department/emergency personnel to training exercises or whether they would use their personal vehicle. It was determined that the fire and police departments have vehicles that can be taken out of town for such use. It was also mentioned that paid on-call personnel using their own vehicle would be issued IRS allowable mileage reimbursement. Several fire/emergency personnel were in attendance at the meeting and said the mileage reimbursement is satisfactory if they use their own vehicle to attend training sessions.

A reminder that the city’s annual leaf vacuum program will begin on Monday, Oct. 15. Pick-up will be on the day after your garbage collection. The leaves should be placed at the curb (not in the road) and must not contain sticks or branches.

Four aldermanic seats will be up for election in April 2019. They are Hessenberger, Ward 1; John Holland, Ward 2; Randy Morris, Ward 3; and Walt Weiland, Ward 4. Election packets are available at the city clerk’ office. The first day to circulate petitions was Sept. 18.

The next regular meeting of the Mendota City Council will be Monday, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m.