La Marque council approves three change orders adding $536,903.75 to citywide sewer rehabilitation project

La Marque — The La Marque City Council on Feb. 3 authorized three change orders to the citywide sanitary sewer rehabilitation contract that together add $536,903.75 to the project.

City staff said the three approvals — change order No. 6 for $115,830, No. 7 for $38,200 and No. 8 for $382,873.75 — cover added manhole repairs, lining and additional open-cut point repairs discovered during televising of sewer lines. "As of right now, I'm the interim public works director," said Shannon, who presented the orders and described the scope and accounting for the project.

Why it matters: the rehabilitation work is part of a larger contract awarded at roughly $5.6 million and, according to staff, the net amount after change orders and credits is about $4.3 million. Council members asked how unused funds from the original award would be applied; staff said credits and savings were being allocated to alternate bid items included in the project scope rather than to unrelated work such as sidewalks.

The largest single increase, change order No. 8 for $382,873.75, reflects a larger count of manholes in need of repair and additional work where manhole tops could not be opened during initial inspections. Staff said $145,000 of the No. 8 amount is being reserved to address manholes that were inaccessible during assessment and may require full replacement.

Council discussion also covered how the project had been divided into geographic areas and the role of the Texas General Land Office (GLO) funding. Brent, a staff member who spoke in support of the presentation, confirmed that the GLO award language and scope allowed the city to apply savings to the alternate bid items included in the original approved scope.

Council members pressed staff for clearer follow-up reporting so the public can track where remaining funds are spent. One council member asked for a breakdown listing the original contract amount and each change order so the community can see allocations; staff said such a breakdown was available and that more detailed follow-ups would be brought to council.

The council voted on each change order after discussion; each motion passed with no recorded opposition on the floor.

What’s next: staff said they will return to council with additional recommendations on how to apply remaining funds to alternate bid items and with further detail on exact locations and before-and-after documentation of repaired brick-lined manholes.