Council approves $38,163 change order for park pump system after staff says work was needed to correct buried errors

Council Bluffs on April 21 approved Resolution 25-114, authorizing a $38,163 change order related to repairs at a park water feature and pump house.

City staff told the council the existing underground gravity drainage had been installed incorrectly during prior work, and that when the system was started the gravity flow did not operate as planned. Staff said a suction pump had been added after the original installation in 2017 and that work to remove or replace equipment and re-engineer the system became necessary to get the feature operating safely and in compliance with permit expectations.

Council members pressed staff on process and timing. One council member said the additional charge “should have come to us in the summer” and questioned why the council’s approval was being requested after the work was done. Staff acknowledged the change order paperwork was not submitted in a timely manner and apologized for the delay; the city said the work itself had been required to repair hidden defects discovered during activation and troubleshooting.

Why it matters: The additional cost exceeded the director-level approval threshold, which required the council’s sign-off on the change order. Council members noted the $38,000 figure is significant and asked why contractors did not raise the change order earlier. Staff said hidden, below-ground conditions and corroded equipment made the repairs necessary and that the contractor’s late submittal of the change order was an administrative lapse.

The council approved the resolution after discussion and a voice vote.

Staff did not identify a specific contractor claim beyond the submitted change order amount in the public discussion, nor did the council vote include a recorded roll-call tally in the audio transcript.