New Bidding Rules Divide La Grange Officials

LA GRANGE, IL – La Grange trustees approved more stringent bidding rules Monday, but dissenters said the regulations may hurt the village.

Under the regulations, contractors would need apprenticeship programs and labor agreements. That would likely limit bidders to unionized Illinois companies.

The rules would also mandate bidders to have five years of experience, though officials offered varying interpretations of that requirement.

Trustee Glenn Thompson called himself pro-union, but said the apprenticeship programs and labor agreements would eliminate contractors from right-to-work Indiana.

"To limit ourselves to in-state union contractors, I think, is shortsighted on our part and could leave us with really expensive programs," Thompson said.

By contrast, the bidding rules for major agencies, such as the state Department of Transportation and the Illinois Tollway, are less stringent, he said.

"The big general contractors in this area do not use companies to haul gravel that meet these standards. They can't afford it," Thompson said.

Trustee Beth Augustine said the village has generally hired good contractors, checking their experience and references.

"I'm wondering where this is coming from," she said. "I hadn't heard about it until this week. This didn't seem like a bubbling issue."

Village President Mark Kuchler said he asked the village's staff to come up with bidding regulations.

"(A contractor) can't be somebody who started last week," Kuchler said. "They can't watch a YouTube video and pave a parking lot for us."

A couple of years ago, a Michigan company's work painting a local water tower was problematic, Kuchler said. That was one of the reasons he said he wanted stiffer rules.

But Augustine said the firm resolved it quickly.

"It was a significantly lower bid," she said.

Kuchler acknowledged the point, saying the company fixed the problem under the warranty.

At the outset of the project, a trade union objected to the village's choice of a nonunion Michigan firm.

The board voted 4-2 for the new rules. Thompson and Augustine voted no.