There was some talk of Christmas in July during the North Judson Town Council’s first meeting of the month.
At that time, Council President John Rowe told members that a request related to their holiday decorations was recently received.
He explained, “We got a letter from the people that have done this for us for the last few years. They want us to sign another three-year contract for around $5,948.”
He noted that their contract would cover enough decorations for 42 poles, with 16 of those in town and the rest lining Highway 10.
In the past, President Rowe has expressed an interest in potentially obtaining some town-owned decorations instead of renting them so he presented the council with an alternate plan.
Rowe shared, “My proposal is we sign a two-year contract with them for just the 26 on that highway and we ask them what they would charge us for two years we buy 16 for the ones downtown so we would invest $5-6,000.”
Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe mentioned that’s an approximate cost estimate and noted that this is the time of year where many places are offering 30-40 percent off decoration purchases.
President Rowe said his proposal also includes buying additional decorations during that two-year contract period.
He told members, “Then next year we buy another 13 or 14 maybe 16 again would probably the right number and we buy 16 three times so then eventually, after two years, we’re doing 16 here [in town] and 32 down there, because I think we should do more we actually do on the highway.”
Rowe noted that since the majority of the decorations utilize LED lights they’ll also be long-lasting.
He recommended possibly establishing a selection committee who could search through the various options and pick out some worth purchasing.
No official actions were taken, but the matter will be re-addressed in future meetings.
