By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
Failing to pass a piece of legislation could lead to Bucyrus losing out on a $155,000 grant.
A key piece of legislation for the Walnut Street Waterline project failed Tuesday night when councilmen Bruce Truka and John Walker voted against the resolution. Adding the absence of Councilwoman Monica Sack to the mix, the resolution failed because it was not able to drum up the required amount of votes to pass.
After Tuesday night’s Bucyrus City Council meeting, Truka stated he thought there may be serious problems with the Water Department. He added that he wanted to see if they can be brought up to date with what is going on within the department before passing legislation for the project.
Resolution 214-2013 would have authorized Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner to go out for bids for the 2013 Walnut Street Waterline project. The city would have received an Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) grant totaling $155,000 for the project. The reminder of the project, coming in at $205,425, would have been paid for by the city.
Mayor Roger Moore said the city could be jeopardy of not receiving the free grant if some kind of legislation is not passed at the next council meeting. He added that he has been in contact with OPWC and has advised them of the situation.
Moore speculated that Walker and Truka may be having issues with the way the supervisors are handling jobs. He said the “forceful tactic” had nothing to do with the Walnut Street Waterline project.
Walker chose not to comment on the situation.