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Council presses city on contractor costs and staffing after 56 water main breaks; contractors billed $1.075 million
Summary
Councilors raised alarms about heavy contractor use to repair water main breaks, staffing shortages and foreman vacancies; CFO reported contractor costs of $1,075,506.89 from January 2024 to present and the water director described hiring and training steps.
Councilors pressed city officials on Thursday over a string of water main breaks and high contractor costs, asking why contractors completed a large share of repairs and demanding a plan to restore in‑house capacity.
Councilor Getche noted that of 56 water main breaks reported, contractors repaired 41 and city crews repaired 15, and asked why the city was paying both contractor rates and maintaining staff payroll to manage incidents. CFO Connor Baldwin provided a contractor cost figure when asked by Councilor Robinson: “The cost up to to date is $1,075,506.89,” he said.
Executive Director D'Shane and other department officials said the water division has hired new staff, enrolled two recently hired MEO‑3 employees in training classes (hydrant operation and maintenance, competent person training, front‑end loader training), and planned to bring on one experienced hire on June 2. Officials acknowledged turnover, a foreman position long vacant, and the operational need for three‑person crews on emergency calls; the foreman vacancy has been open about three years, councilors said.
Councilors demanded copies of the fire department’s last three annual hydrant inspection reports to clarify the number and location of out‑of‑service hydrants and called for improved after‑hours response protocols. At one point a councilor said the city had 2,356 hydrants and “tentatively 66” out of service; officials agreed to provide more documented details. Councilors also urged management to reduce reliance on contractors because of the double cost to taxpayers — paying staff oversight plus outside labor — and warned of further personnel or policy changes if in‑house response did not improve.
The administration said protocols and budget proposals for FY2026 will include trench‑safety and staffing stability measures to reduce contractor reliance. The council requested regular follow‑up on staffing, training milestones, contractor expenditures and hydrant inspection reports.
