CALDWELL, Idaho — The conversation got heated at Monday night's Caldwell city council meeting over a debate about when to make a final decision on the railroad quiet zone proposal.
At the meeting, Councilmember Scott Tilmant requested that the old business item, which detailed discussing acceptance of a bid for installation of security features at railroad crossings, become an action item at the meeting. He also requested that the final action for approval/denial of the bid be taken at the next regularly scheduled meeting.
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Mayor Eric Phillips of Caldwell responded, reading aloud a prepared statement regarding the issue. Phillips reiterated that the quiet zone project didn't start with him, but with a previous administration. He emphasized that he knows a bid needs to be made on this, but new information is coming to light that is stalling the decision.
"Weeks ago, I sent a simple request to you guys, this council. If the council is going to force a quiet zone, at least it should be done properly," said Phillips.
Phillips adds that he wishes for more pedestrian safety measures to be implemented in the proposal.
He says he doesn't want to "rush into a new capital expenditure," wishing that the council could discuss the topic honestly and go about it in one of two ways. One: step back, re-bid the project, determine the full cost, and include pedestrian protections, or two: reutilize the funds for other projects.
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The council goes to a vote, and they vote 5-1 to make it an action item.
Tilmant responds to the mayor's statement, saying, "I find it disrespectful & unprofessional to both the contractor and city staff for the city to continue to drag out the approval or denial of a good faith bid for completion of the railroad intersection improvements and implementation of the quiet zone agreement."
He says the project has been approved for over a decade, with staff putting countless hours towards researching the proposal & how to properly allocate the funds.
After other councilmembers made their final comments, the council voted again, this time to move the final action to the next meeting. The vote passed 5-1.
City leaders say a final decision could come at the next council meeting on March 25, or at the following meeting on April 6.
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