Union Asks La Grange To Bypass Low Bidder

LA GRANGE, IL — A La Grange trustee on Monday proposed choosing the second lowest bidder for a tower painting project because it is an Illinois company, bypassing the low bidder, an out-of-state firm. A union endorsed going that route.

After a debate, the trustees went with the lowest bidder, Seven Brothers Painting of Shelby Township, Mich.

All six bidders — half of them from out of state — turned in bids far lower than the engineer's estimate of $1.1 million. The bids ranged from $568,000 to $881,000. Wauconda-based Jetco was the second lowest bidder, about $25,000 above the low bid. The village's engineer considered both Seven Brothers and Jetco as qualified bidders.

During the Village Board meeting, a letter was read from Daniel Hernandez, a representative of Painters District Council No. 14, who urged the trustees to go with Jetco and questioned how Seven Brothers could reach such a low price when it needed to pay for hotels. While the village should give taxpayers the best possible service for the lowest cost, he said, it should also do right by residents.

"If that means paying the proper amount for work to help keep local businesses going that pay local taxes and employ Illinois-trained residents, some who live right here in your township and surrounding townships, isn't that the right thing to do?" Hernandez said.

Trustee Lou Gale said that if the project were state funded, the law would mandate the village to choose an Illinois company. Because village taxpayers are footing the bill, the village has no such requirement. But Gale said the village can still choose to follow the state law.

"In other states, they go out of their way to make sure that they give advantages to their businesses. I don't see why Illinois can't do things to favor Illinois labor and Illinois businesses," Gale said.

He said the benefits of choosing an Illinois company whose bid is less than 5 percent more than the low bidder outweigh the out-of-pocket costs.

Trustee David McCarty said he was glad Gale raised the issue, saying he supported the concept of going with Illinois companies.

"I think we should consider that in our bidding," he said. "I don't think I support it in this case, given the circumstances and the timing," McCarty said.

Asked to speak, Vladimir Vushaj, operations manager for Seven Brothers, told the board it should consider that only four Illinois companies have the qualifications to handle a tower painting project, which involves cleaning and maintenance of both the interior and exterior surfaces of the structure.

"Every bidder on the list is well-qualified and respectable," Vushaj said. "I have no negative assertions for any of them. You would be well-served by any of them."

He said he took exception that a company such as his did not contribute to the state economy. He said he had documents on hand that showed Seven Brothers paid $26,000 in Illinois sales taxes in 2019.

The trustees voted 4-1 for Seven Brothers, with Gale dissenting. Trustee Bill Holder was absent.

The tower in question is on Tilden Avenue next to Gordon Park. It is about 30 years old and was last painted in 2004, according to village documents.