Amador County – The Ione City Council voted 3-2 Tuesday to select the Costa Mesa firm PERC to operate the city’s wastewater treatment plant and department. The vote authorized City Manager Kim Kerr to enter negotiations with PERC, find a contract agreement with the company, and bring it back to the city council for approval. A representative from the company offered to adjust its bid to the lowest one received, among the 4 finalists in the sewer department sweepstakes. That lowered the bid to $397,000 dollars for 1 year’s operation costs. Kerr said that was a base rate, a maximum cost bid, on which to negotiate and set the costs for the contract. Kerr said the bids were adjusted slightly to clarify which contain certain costs, with the company bids led by Southwest Water of Los Angeles bidding $397,000 dollars. Severn Trent of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was second at $418,954; and Veolia Water Company of Pleasant Hill was third at $420,756. PERC was higher that Southwest, but lowered its offer by $12,000 dollars, in the offer by its representative. Councilman Jim Ulm said he knows the bidding process he has used for years, and this was doing it differently, adding that “If I was a contractor, I would walk out.” He also said he did not like the fact that the council would choose a company but not get the final number. Mayor Lee Ard said the “costs are not to exceed” the bids, and it was the “time now to select the lowest bid.” Vice Mayor Skip Schaufel moved that the council approve negotiation with Southwest, but the motion died for lack of a second. Councilman David Plank then motioned to select PERC for negotiations. Councilwoman Andrea Bonham seconded the motion and said the “biggest thing” for her was the “transfer of risk,” offered by 2 of the 4 bidders, including PERC. Plank said he looked at all companies and tried not to look at only the dollar amount. He “found PERC had the best track record with no related fines.” Ard said they were all excellent firms, but PERC was the only one that could build a sewer plant. It also had good California experience. Schaufel said he hoped “if PERC was selected that it can create better than a 90-minute response time.” Ard, Bonham and Plank voted to select PERC for negotiations with Kerr, with Schaufel and Ulm voting no. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.