MARSHALL — A proposed chip sealing project on several Marshall streets sparked some discussion among members of the city council on Tuesday. The question was whether the estimated $154,000 project should be delayed a year.

“Going forward, it’s just unknown what our finances are going to be,” said council member James Lozinski.

However, in the end council members voted to go out for bids on the project.

The city’s 2025 Street Department budget included $165,000 for the chip sealing, said Public Works Director Jason Anderson. Anderson said chip sealing would help prolong the life of asphalt road surfaces on some of Marshall’s newer streets.

“Blacktop, over time, gets more brittle, and as it gets more brittle it begins to crack and starts to fall apart,” Anderson said. “By providing this cover, you slow that process.”

The list of streets proposed to be chip sealed as part of the project included South Whitney Street, Ellis Avenue, Slate Street, Diamond Drive, Travertine Street, Granite Street, A Street, East Redwood Street, Jean Street, B Street, East Lyon Street, O’Connell Street and Victory Drive.

Anderson said the estimated total cost of the project was about $154,422. Alternate streets that could be added to the project included Lake Road and Michigan Road.

On March, 25, the city council’s Public Improvement and Transportation Committee voted to recommend a one-year pause on the chip sealing project.

“Staff would recommend that we do continue with the program, seeing as how it’s in the budget,” Anderson said.

Lozinski said it was uncertainty over the city’s budget that led the committee to recommend waiting on the chip sealing.

“It’s not that the PI&T Committee opposed this, it’s just that we’re looking at budgetary issues and the upcoming budget, and we think it’s a good year to pause it,” he said.

Lozinski added that while it wasn’t the PI&T committee’s position, he personally didn’t think chip sealing was worth the money.

“My only concern is just the game of kicking the can down the road,” if the city did delay the project, said council member Amanda Schroeder.

“I’m on the fence on this,” said council member John Alcorn. “I’d like to trust city staff and their knowledge, and I also know the prices never go down. If we push these projects forward, we’re probably not going to see the price come down in a year or two.”

A motion from Lozinski to not go forward with the chip sealing project this year failed for lack of a second. A motion by Schroeder to go out for bids on chip sealing passed 5-1, with Lozinski casting the vote against.