New bids for city construction were accepted and a grant to purchase new TASER devices for the police department was approved at the Charleston City Council meeting on Tuesday. 

The City Council accepted a bid from McCarthy Improvement Company of Davenport, Iowa, agreeing to pay the business $138,050  for the construction of ADA sidewalk ramps along Madison Avenue, something that is part of the Madison Avenue Project.  

The project calls for the resurfacing of Madison Avenue from Seventh Street to 18th Street, as well as a small section of 11th Street. 

The bid is for the construction of ramp upgrades on Eighth Street, Ninth Street, 10th Street and 11th Street, which are required to complete the project, according to Council Member Dennis Malak.  

Additionally, Charleston received a $150,000 grant for additional project funding. The grant is part of the state’s Tax Increment Redevelopment Plan, which allows for redevelopment by using tax increment financing. 

The other bid accepted by the council was from the Nes-Co Asphalt Co., in which the city agreed to pay $102,140 for the resurfacing of Williamsburg Drive and Pierce Avenue.  

This bid is broken down into three different resurfacing locations: Williamsburg Drive, which will cost $49,340; Pierce Avenue from Division Street to Second Street, which will cost $28,600; and Pierce Avenue from B Street to E Street, which will cost $24,200. 

The funding for this project comes from tax revenue generated by motor fuel sales as well as from the public works budget. 

The City Council also accepted a $21,600 grant awarded to the Charleston Police Department from the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System Training and Standards Board’s Less Lethal Alternatives Grant Program. 

The funding will help the department purchase six TASER 10 devices from Axon Enterprise Inc., totaling $31,197.60.  

The TASER is a conductive energy weapon that is frequently carried by law enforcement. 

The newest model of the device, the TASER 10, has a maximum range of 45 feet and can fire up to 10 probes without needing to be reloaded.  

When at least two probes make contact with a subject, the device outputs electrical current to induce neuromuscular incapacitation, which can temporarily immobilize the subject. The TASER is classified as a less-lethal weapon, according to Axon’s website.  

The Charleston Police Department is entering into a five-year agreement with Axon, beginning with a payment of $21,600 in December. After that, there will be a yearly payment of  $1,919.52, starting in May of 2026 and ending in May 2030. 

As a result of this purchase, CPD will sell nine of its existing TASER devices to the Coles County Sheriff’s Office for $5,000. 

City Manager Steve Bennett acknowledged the work of Charleston Police Chief Heath Thornton in getting the grant.  

“It’s always nice when we can pick up extra funds,” Bennett said.  

Also during the meeting, the City Council entered an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Finance Authority to add electric vehicle infrastructure to the city. 

The IFA was awarded funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Administration Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program. Those funds are being used by the IFA to create EV infrastructure in the state of Illinois.  

The Council previously accepted a grant from REACH Strategies, a California-based clean energy company in partnership with Ameren Illinois, for $50,000 at its meeting on Oct. 7. 

With the grant, the city received a transportation electrification plan that recommended EV charging stations in five locations, including Charleston Carnegie Public Library, Linder Sports Complex and Lake Charleston.  

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1.2 million, according to the resolution.  

The intergovernmental agreement will provide $960,000, leaving the city to pay $190,000. 

Malak was appreciative of the grant money that the city has been able to get. 

“The amount of grant work that has been coming into the city or that has been acknowledged coming into the city just here on Council has been amazing and astonishing,” Malak said. “Thank you to everybody on our team.”

Jason Coulombe can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].