Summary
Council unanimously approved an award for canal maintenance but split on a $9.3 million road bond paving contract for Unit 44 (motion failed 2‑3); council also approved an increase to an outside‑consulting task order for engineering services.
The Palm Bay City Council on the consent and procurement agenda approved a canal‑maintenance contract and an increase to an outside consulting task order, but declined to award a $9.3 million road‑bond paving contract for Unit 44 after members urged a pause to reassess procurement strategy and condition assessments.
Public Works staff said only one bid was received for canal maintenance — a contract type that requires specialized aquatic excavators — and recommended award to the sole responsive bidder. Council approved the canal maintenance award unanimously (5‑0).
The council then considered an apparent low bid of $9,312,394 from Timothy Rose Contracting for road‑bond paving in Unit 44. Staff noted three responsive bids were close in price and said the project was funded with fiscal‑year‑2026 supplementing dollars; the project also requires some full‑depth reclamation in places where base sections were found deficient. Several council members asked staff to pause future road‑bond projects while they re‑evaluate procurement bundling, the pavement‑condition inventory and whether additional bidders could be engaged. Deputy Mayor Jaffe, Councilman Johnson and others asked for historical unit cost data and raised concerns about mobilization and traffic‑control costs. A motion to award the Unit 44 contract failed on a 2‑3 vote.
The council separately approved a staff request to increase an outside consulting task order for engineering services from $100,000 to $130,000 so that the city can continue outsourced engineering work while Public Works evaluates recruiting and other options. That procurement increase passed unanimously.
Why it matters: canal maintenance and road resurfacing are core public‑works operations with significant budgetary impact. Council members signaled a desire to pause and review the overall road‑bond delivery strategy, vendor pool and pavement‑condition metrics before committing to additional large awards.
Provenance: staff presentation of the canal maintenance bid and award ("Passes 5 0"), staff presentation of Unit 44 bid and a motion that failed ("motion fails 2 to 3"), and increase to outside consulting task order approved ("Passes unanimously").
