Jersey Village council authorizes architectural design agreement for city campus after debate over timing and arbitration clause

The Jersey Village City Council on May 14 authorized the city manager to enter into an architectural services agreement with Merriman Holt Powell Architects to advance schematic design through construction documents for the proposed city campus.

City Manager Austin Blais told council the agreement follows earlier conceptual work and would cover schematic design, design development, construction documents and construction administration. He said the contractual fee is 7.2 percent of estimated total construction costs plus fees for mechanical, electrical and plumbing and other supplemental services, and that allowances in the contract are estimates until final construction costs are known.

Several council members raised concerns about committing to design work now while the city faces multiple large capital needs. One councilor asked what liability the city would incur if it later changed course; Blais said the city would only pay for services rendered through the date of termination and that there is no early-termination penalty in the agreement. The city attorney explained that, as a practice, standard AIA arbitration provisions were removed to preserve access to Texas courts.

After further discussion on timing, project scale and the long history of the city hall question, a motion to authorize the manager to execute the agreement passed with a majority vote. Councilors noted the work is intended to produce documents needed to solicit a guaranteed maximum price and to guide decisions about construction timing and financing.

Council directed staff to continue providing cost and inspection information as the design work proceeds so council can reassess scope and schedule before committing to construction.