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DPW asks committee to cover $121,818 in prior invoices; officials explain seasonal timing and contract overspend
Summary
The department of public works requested use of FY26 funds to pay four prior FY25 invoices totaling $121,818.23—including solar net‑metering vendors, Verizon fleet tracking, and grounds/tree contractors—and the committee recommended approval after questions about contract sizes and timing.
The Central City Council Finance Committee on Oct. 7 recommended using FY26 funds to pay four prior fiscal‑year invoices totaling $121,818.23 for the Department of Public Works (DPW), and laid three additional small prior‑invoice items on the table for approval.
Deputy Director of Finance Danielle Palazzo said the requests cover vendor invoices tied to solar net‑metering accounts (Sunwell Power, Greenbacher, and Select Energy Leasee) that were difficult to forecast because charges vary with solar production. The DPW also requested $2,124.13 to close a Verizon fleet‑tracking invoice that exceeded a carried‑forward purchase order.
Superintendent Ben Waldrop explained two grounds contractors created the largest funding shortfalls. Always Green had $3,075 in off‑contract expenses caused by a gap between an expired contract and the new contract start date. Stanley Tree exceeded its year‑one contract value while completing extensive trimming in Ward 1 and required roughly $20,322 additional to finish work in Ward 2; Waldrop said Stanley’s annual contract runs about $444,000.
Councilor Scott and others asked about the size of the Stanley Tree contract and the DPW said they would provide the total contract value and related details after the meeting. Councilors emphasized that invoices are obligations that should be paid promptly; the committee laid the items on the table to recommend approval and included them in the final batch vote approving agenda items 1–14.
