Round Lake mayor, trustees at odds over vehicle maintenance

Round Lake Mayor James Dietz says he intends to hold a discussion with village trustees to address their rejection of a police vehicle maintenance bid that was about $61,000 less than the only remaining competitor.

Trustees recently voted 3-1 against Dietz’s recommendation to accept Ingleside Auto and Tire Center’s offer to perform expected work on the police cars, SUVs and light pickup trucks for $108,684 as part of a one-year contract.

A-Tire County Service in Round Lake came in with a price of $169,707 for the same work. Two other companies that submitted proposals were eliminated because officials deemed they were not best, responsible bidders.

In the wake of the rejection of Ingleside Auto and Tire, Dietz said he wants to discuss with village trustees what to do about police vehicle maintenance during a nonvoting committee meeting Feb. 6.

“I’m not sure where it’s going,” Dietz said Friday.

Dietz said the competitive bids were sought because he wanted to end any controversy over whether Round Lake was paying too much for police vehicle work. He said Ingleside Auto and Tire should be hired because it had the best price by roughly $61,000.

In 2009, former mayor Bill Gentes accused Dietz of wanting his job as Round Lake’s top elected official, in part, to direct more business to A-Tire. Dietz’s wife formerly worked at A-Tire, but he denied Gentes’ accusation and said he had no allegiance to the company.

At a nonvoting committee meeting Jan. 3, Trustee Susan Triphahn argued against using a bidding process to hire a company to take care of the police cars. She said the free-market system should determine the business that receives the work.

“Once we take control of the auto industry, what’s next?” Triphahn said. “What are we going to micromanage next? Is that really the job of a board member? I don’t think so.”

Trustees Donald Newby, Greg Clements and Triphahn voted against hiring Ingleside Auto and Tire, with Vickie Wicinski the lone trustee in favor at a Jan. 16 meeting.

Dietz said Police Chief Michael Gillette led the preparation of documents that sought maintenance proposals from the businesses. Gillette received help from Round Lake department heads and other village employees in a detailed process that began last year.

Bidders were solicited from an 8-mile radius of Round Lake. Dietz said securing fair prices for potential police vehicle service in advance would relieve village staff of trying to find the best deals on a piecemeal basis.

A-Tire was a source of Round Lake government controversy in 2004. In September of that year, Trustee Danette Kohlmeyer resigned after a Daily Herald investigation found she had approved more than $105,000 in village payments to her husband’s A-Tire operation from January 2003 to June 2004.