Richmond City Board of Works approves multiple contracts and routine claims

The Richmond City Board of Works and Safety approved routine claims, payroll and a series of service contracts at its March 19 meeting.

After confirming a quorum, the board voted to approve accounts payable of $131,765.88 and payroll totaling $944,328.59. Members also approved a fire clothing allowance of $64,000.

Purchasing manager Cara presented bids for the city’s 2026 vehicle impound and storage contract, and recommended awarding the two-year contract to Countryside Auto for $21,600 per year. The board approved the award after discussion about the vendor’s location and timing; a member registered an opposition during that vote.

The board approved multiple other contracts recommended by city departments: Wallace Heating and Air for HVAC maintenance (contract 242026), Overhead Door Company for garage door maintenance (contract 252026, billed at $95 per service hour and $142.50 for overtime), D and D Janitorial for office cleaning (contract 262026, $4,680), and Midwest Signal and Railroad Services for railroad-spur signal and crossing maintenance (contract 282026, not to exceed $9,600 annually). Matt Keller, director of public operations, also secured approval to contract with Oracle Elevator Holdco Inc. for elevator maintenance at city buildings, a $900-a-month bid the board approved for the period March 2026–March 2030.

Keller told the board both municipal elevators are about 50 years old and that a modernization quote to replace the two elevators is approximately $289,000. He urged the city to begin planning and saving for replacement costs.

The board set a brief recess later in the meeting to sign paperwork and then proceeded into a separate vicious-dog hearing; that case was continued to March 26 for follow-up from animal control. The contract approvals and votes reported here were all made by voice vote and recorded as approved by the board.