$232,750 Oversight Contract With Fehr Graham — Taxpayers Still in the Dark

FREEPORT, IL – August 26, 2025

At its August 18 meeting, the Freeport City Council adopted Resolution R-2025-87, approving a $232,750 contract with Fehr Graham for construction engineering services on the Walnut Road Lift Station project.

But beneath the surface, the contract reveals troubling flaws. Taxpayers are being asked to pay nearly a quarter of a million dollars not for the actual construction or materials, but only for oversight and paperwork. And with no firm ceiling on many of the billed services, Freeport still has no idea what the true final cost will be.

A Dual Role Raises Eyebrows

The contract was presented to the council by Darin Stykel, a Senior Project Manager for Fehr Graham. What many residents don’t realize is that Stykel also serves as Freeport’s Director of Public Works — effectively making him both the City’s top internal infrastructure officer and the outside firm’s project manager.

This dual role blurs the line between public duty and private interest. As Public Works Director, Stykel is tasked with protecting taxpayers and ensuring fair contracts. But as Fehr Graham’s senior manager, he profits from steering oversight work back to his firm.

“It looks like Fehr Graham has their man on the inside,” one resident said. “They design the project, they write the oversight contract, they present it at the council meeting, and then they get paid to police themselves.”

What the Contract Covers — and What It Doesn’t

The agreement calls for Fehr Graham to:

  • Provide full-time on-site observation.

  • Manage pay applications and verify quantities.

  • Draft and manage change orders.

  • Lay out one-time stakes for sewer and roadway items.

  • Track material certifications and compliance.

  • Subcontract density and asphalt testing through a third-party lab.

What it does not cover:

  • Construction labor.

  • Materials like pumps, pipe, asphalt, or concrete.

  • Traffic management or detour planning.

  • Utility locates or relocation coordination.

  • Environmental remediation or unforeseen site conditions.

This means Freeport is paying nearly a quarter of a million dollars just for management services, while the actual construction costs — which will be far higher — remain undisclosed.

Flaws Buried in the Fine Print

A close look at the agreement reveals multiple red flags:

  • Open-ended costs: Materials testing is billed on a time-and-materials basis, with no hard cap. Reimbursables can carry a 15% markup.

  • Conflict of interest: Fehr Graham designed the project and is now in charge of overseeing, inspecting, and approving its own design work.

  • One-time staking: Stakes disturbed during construction must be replaced, but at the contractor’s cost, creating likely disputes and added expense.

  • Exclusions guarantee add-ons: No geotechnical evaluation, no traffic plan, no utility coordination — all of which could surface later as costly “unforeseen” issues.

  • Liability limits: Fehr Graham’s responsibility is capped to insurance proceeds, with no warranties and only a two-year window for claims — even if defects appear years later.

  • Schedule contradictions: A five-month build is listed, yet final completion is June 1, 2026 — creating a pretext for extended oversight fees.

City Leadership Fails to Push Back

For a contract with so many flaws, critics say the City’s leadership showed little resistance. City Manager William Boyer, Freeport’s highly paid chief executive, recommended approval without demanding caps or safeguards.

Mayor Jodi Miller, now in her third term, did not press for tougher protections for taxpayers.

And our eight alderpeople — the elected representatives of Freeport’s wards — voted to pass the resolution without serious debate, effectively rubber-stamping a costly oversight contract that leaves residents exposed to overruns.

“Between the City Manager, the Mayor, and the Council, you would think someone would stand up and say, ‘Wait, this isn’t protecting the taxpayers,’” said Joshua T. Atkinson, a Freeport resident and Republican candidate for Illinois State Senate in District 45. “Instead, they pushed it right through.”

TIF Dollars Diverted

The $232,750 contract will be paid entirely out of the Lamm Road TIF District, that has by design, increasing the tax burden on residents to support schools, the library, and county services. While legal under Illinois law, this stretches the intended purpose of TIF — to spur new redevelopment, not to cover routine infrastructure maintenance.

“This is basic sewer infrastructure being funded with TIF,” Atkinson added. “That means we had to cover the tax dollars not going to our schools and library so Fehr Graham can cash in.”

The Bottom Line

The Walnut Road Lift Station project may be necessary, but the way it is being managed is deeply flawed. Freeport is paying nearly a quarter of a million dollars just for oversight, while the true construction costs remain undisclosed. The contract leaves Fehr Graham in control, Darin Stykel straddling both sides of the table, and taxpayers on the hook.

It is unfortunate — and alarming — that Freeport’s highly paid City Manager, its three-term Mayor, and its eight alderpeople allowed this agreement to pass without demanding safeguards, transparency, or even basic accountability.

Freeport residents deserve better.