Council approves large CSO payment; members press for clarity on engineering contract costs

The Dearborn Heights City Council approved a $3,707,786.62 payment to Wayne County for operation and maintenance of a combined-sewer overflow (CSO) retention basin and discussed several related sewer, stormwater and engineering-contract items.

City staff said the payment stems from a multi-decade agreement the city entered into with Wayne County for construction and operation of a retention/treatment basin that helps prevent sewage discharges to the Rouge River. City officials said the county built and has operated the facility under a contract dating to 1994 and that the basin’s operating license is jointly held; administration said the city had stopped making payments in past years and needed to bring its account current to reflect the contractual obligation. The council approved the payment and authorized warrant issuance from the designated fund.

Councilmembers also questioned professional-engineering costs the city is paying under multiple as-needed contracts. Councilman (name) said the packet showed roughly $1.3 million in engineering soft costs charged through the consultant WeeTrim (weight trim) and asked for a breakdown of who the professional-engineers are, their grade levels and hourly rates. City Engineer Deeb explained the consultant produces survey data, blueprints and bid documents for road, sewer and CSO projects and that soft costs are tracked as part of each project; he said the city currently has approximately 42 active projects requiring progress meetings, design and inspection. “They actually produce the documents. They actually do the survey. They produce the blueprint. We put that out to bid,” Deeb said, adding that higher-level engineers are not billed for routine field work and that the firm’s invoices reflect multiple projects and tasks.

Council asked for an itemized report showing the engineer grades, named personnel and project breakdowns so members could review hourly rates and whether specific tasks should be done in-house. Council also approved awards for underground excavation, flood response and sewer-cleaning contracts and extended a Cross Connection Control program contract with HydroCorp for two years. City staff said those contracts are standard as-needed procurement vehicles used to ensure the city can respond to emergencies and keep water-system compliance work on schedule.

What happens next: Council directed administration to provide an itemized breakdown of engineering invoices (names/grades/hours and project allocations) and to post or circulate the details before the next meeting. The city will also issue the Wayne County payment from the designated account as approved.