PEKIN, Ill. — Two new vans from a local business was decided by the Pekin City Council Monday night to transport students from Pekin to Kiefer School in Peoria and High Road School of Bloomington.
Pekin Mayor, Mark Luft, said the transportation to these schools is very important.
“If that service wasn’t provided, there would be different options. The kids might not be in school if they didn’t have that option. They wouldn’t get the special care they need if we did not provide that service,” Luft said. “And, it might be a bigger expense to the family if that was not offered here.”
Luft said that they run their own bus services.
“That comes through the state, and through the high school, and ultimately since we still run our own busing, then that is passed down to us. That’s why we are reimbursed to make sure those students get to the school that they need to get to,” Luft said.
The council voted unanimously buy two 2019 Ford Transit Connect vans from Velde Ford Pekin for $50,913. Each van can hold up to six passengers.
Other options were brought to the council, such as two vans from the state bid for $56,960 or two vans from Uftring Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in North Pekin for $43,392.
“The prices varied quite a bit, so we had a discussion on that, but the main point was to keep the purchase of those vehicles local,” Luft said.
Many council members agreed that they wanted to purchase the vans from a local dealership.
“Well we don’t pay a tax on it, so it’s not necessarily that. But the dealerships here do pay property taxes. They are an investment in our city,” Luft said. “Those families that own those are here in our community. It’s important to show that support for local business when we can.”
Luft said in the past, they have decided to use the state bid. However, this time they wanted to know the prices if the vans were purchased locally.
