Resident raises public-records and transparency concerns about 2-million-gallon reservoir mediation and past studies

A resident raised a public-records and transparency complaint concerning a past reservoir rehabilitation, mediation and consulting reports.

Ron Trumlitz said he filed a public-records request on April 1, 2025 seeking a transcript or recording of a March 21, 2022 mediation that led to a settlement involving the Pittsburgh Road 2,000,000‑gallon reservoir rehabilitation project. Trumlitz told council he received a reply from staff indicating no transcript exists and that the file had been considered closed. Trumlitz said consultants Berry Investigation & Consultants (BIC) and Walker Consultants prepared reports describing deficiencies; those reports, he said, influenced the city’s decision to mediate rather than litigate. He told the council he believes the public deserves access to mediation notes, recordings or other records explaining the cause and responsibility for the rehabilitation failure.

Why it matters: the rehabilitation of a large municipal reservoir raises public and fiscal accountability questions. Residents asked that any records documenting decisions, consultant findings and the mediation outcome be made available in response to public‑records requests.

Outcome: Trumlitz said he had not received a substantive response from the city attorney and urged greater transparency; council did not take action during the work session but the comment was recorded for staff follow-up.