Mahoning County Commissioners discuss bids on two local sewer projects

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Mahoning County Commissioners sat down Tuesday afternoon with executives of Rudzik Excavating to discuss bids on a pair of local sewer projects.

There’s no decision yet on whether commissioners will reject what appears to be the lowest bids for work near Burgess Run Creek in Poland Township and off of Grandview Avenue in Craig Beach.

Last week the board voted to label Rudzik’s bids for work as “unresponsive” for failing to sign off on a Project Labor Agreement to use union workers.

The executives argued Tuesday that they tried to get information about the PLA but could not get anything.

“If the prosecutor can’t answer a materially impacting question and the commissioners cannot answer this question, the terms of the contract are not clear. How am I to execute a contract when nobody can define the terms of the agreement?” asked Jim Rudzik with Rudzik Excavating.

Commissioners took no formal action on the matter Tuesday. If they do ultimately vote to reject Rudzik’s bids, they argue the lowest union proposal is hundreds of thousands of dollars higher.

“We have every piece of equipment we need to do the work but we’re not good enough to do the work because we don’t sign the PLA. If we sign the PLA, we’re good enough? — Makes absolutely no sense to anyone,” said Rudzik.

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