Trustee presses for transparency after PMR contract and invoicing details added to work-session minutes

Trustee David Harris (named in the transcript as Trustee Harris) pressed the Waterford Township Board of Trustees on Feb. 24 to add detailed language to the work-session minutes documenting oversight questions and expected reporting about the Parks and Recreation bond project consultant, referred to in the transcript as RealPoint/PMR.

Harris told trustees he believed the consultant contract was signed the day after the board’s previous meeting, Jan. 28, 2025, and that invoicing had begun; he asked that the minutes record the timing and that the newly formed Parks and Recreation Bond Project Committee provide frequent, itemized financial reports to the full board. The addition was approved as part of the consent-agenda amendments.

The work-session amendment recorded the following details as requested by Harris and discussed by trustees and staff:

- Contract timing and initial invoicing: Harris stated the contract with PMR was signed 01/28/2025 and that PMR charged approximately $26,500 per month for advisory services under the contract. Harris said PMR had been “on the clock now for 2 weeks,” and he calculated that equated to about $13,002.50 in fees for the initial period.

- Reporting frequency and content: Harris asked that the Parks and Recreation Bond Project Committee produce transparent reports at every board meeting for the duration of the project (the transcript records him suggesting reports for the next 36 months and two reports monthly to coincide with regular meetings). He asked reports to include financial tracking to date for base contract and extras, what was accomplished for the first payment (approximately $13,002.50) and planned deliverables for the second payment (approximately $26,500), who at PMR performed work during each reporting period, and what tasks were completed.

- Advertising and procurement expectations: Harris asked staff to require PMR to provide advertisement dates and due-dates for requests for qualifications/proposals for the architect and construction manager and to advertise broadly (Trustee Harris named outlets including the Southeast Michigan construction reporting services and private services such as the Grand Rapids Builders Exchange, PlanHub and Blue Book) to expand competition for design and construction services.

- Committee members named in the minutes amendment: the requested report was to come from the Parks and Rec Bond Project Committee; the transcript lists committee participants to be involved in reporting (transcript names include Anthony Bartolotta, Supervisor Bartolotta, Parks and Rec Director Jeff Gilbert, Trustee Gary Wall, and other trustees and staff per the work-session discussion).

Supervisor Tony Bartolotta and counsel were recorded as discussing the timing of invoices; Township attorney Joellen Shortly (referred to in the transcript as Attorney Joellen Shortly) was asked to review contract language and indicated she would clarify the likely invoicing timing for the board. The amendment to the work-session minutes was accepted into the consent agenda and approved by the board.

Why it matters

Transactions and retainers for owner’s-representative and project management firms are among the earliest expenditures on large capital projects and can begin before construction. Trustees said they wanted early, recurring financial detail to ensure taxpayers receive transparent oversight as the township proceeds toward design, procurement, and eventual construction of a new parks and recreation facility.

Clarifying details and transcript inconsistencies

The transcript records several figures and names; trustees asked staff to supply precise invoices and schedules going forward. The board-approved minutes amendment records approximate figures (PMR monthly advisory fee of about $26,500 and an initial two-week burn of approximately $13,002.50). The transcript contains occasional variations and misspellings of participant names; the board motion recorded in the meeting incorporated the requested reporting language rather than specifying final contract terms. The board directed staff and the Parks and Recreation Bond Project Committee to provide the requested advertising schedule, task lists and periodic financial tracking.

Ending

The board approved the consent-agenda amendment that includes Harris’s requested language. Trustees asked that the committee and staff provide the detailed procurement timeline and itemized financial reporting at future board meetings so the board can monitor expenditures and procurement outreach for the parks and recreation project.