The resolution, adopted by Sellers, Klemm, Shadle, Johnson, and Parker, approves a professional services agreement for engineering oversight on four major water main and street replacement projects in residential areas: Carroll Avenue, Black Hawk Avenue, Harvey Avenue, and Willow Street. These streets have suffered frequent water main breaks and boil orders, prompting overdue replacement and road reconstruction.

But while the urgency of infrastructure repairs is clear, the process by which this contract was awarded is anything but. No bid process was conducted to compare prices or qualifications. No alternatives were presented. And no one on the council raised a single point of concern before voting to hand over more than a third of a million taxpayer dollars.

Fehr Graham is set to oversee contractor activity, perform project layout staking, monitor inspections, and manage project documentation. The proposal includes subcontracted material testing services and estimates work will stretch from June through December 2025.

Notably absent from Monday’s discussion was any mention of why this firm—one with a growing and controversial history in Freeport—was awarded the job automatically.

The firm’s relationship with City Hall has come under fire since former 2nd Ward Alderman James Monroe publicly revealed that a 43-year veteran city employee was forced out by City Manager Rob Boyer—a move Monroe claims was designed to justify outsourcing the city’s public works and engineering roles to Fehr Graham.

Despite those concerns, the vote went through silently. Not one alderperson asked how Fehr Graham’s fee was determined, how their performance would be measured, or whether other firms were considered.

For residents hoping for greater transparency under this administration, Monday’s vote was yet another blow. In a city struggling with rising costs, deteriorating infrastructure, and public mistrust, a contract of this size should not pass without scrutiny or safeguards.

$337,500 may fund necessary improvements, but the lack of oversight raises a bigger issue: Is this city government truly protecting its taxpayers? Or has silence become the standard?

In Freeport, where accountability feels increasingly optional, this vote was more than business as usual. It was another reminder that too often, the public pays the price while the deals go unchecked.

— Fighting4Freeport