Residents and council members debated Rivertown lighting purchases before the council approved two related items: replacement color‑selectable Bluetooth string lights for Rivertown and materials for Rivertown parking‑lot lighting.

Ryan Nugent, who identified himself as a District 3 resident, said he had filed public‑records requests to better understand the purchases and was concerned the administration had not posted or preserved a clear solicitation document for the bids. "This item in particular is for color selectable Westgate brand Bluetooth controlled string lights to replace the existing string lights, at use in Rivertown," Nugent said. He noted the Bluetooth lights cost about $131 per string versus roughly $53 per string for the existing white lights and asked whether the existing lights required replacement and why an upgrade was needed given the city's limited funds.

City staff responded that the purchase fell under the city's internal threshold for a posted sealed solicitation; work under the threshold may be solicited by phone or email. A staff member told the council that sealed bids are typical for purchases over $50,000, and that dedicated Rivertown revenue funds the string‑light purchase, not the general fund.

The council approved the string‑lights purchase (New Light Electrical Wholesalers, not to exceed $8,100) and the parking‑lot lighting materials (Armstrong Supply Company, not to exceed $14,863.40). Nugent urged the city to prefer written solicitations even for items below the posting threshold to reduce errors and rejected bids; council and procurement staff responded that their procedures require larger purchases to be sealed and that bid documentation is posted on the city purchasing page when applicable.

All votes on these items were unanimous (6–0).