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Council postpones decision on $2.36M design fee amendment for youth recreation center after failed vote
Summary
Council debated an amendment to the city's contract with Racer MRSA design studio that would raise the design fee to $2,360,276.66 to match a higher construction estimate. An initial roll‑call failed; council later reconsidered and postponed the item to the March 4 meeting for further review.
The Pontiac City Council on Feb. 18 considered a contract amendment to Racer MRSA (doing business as Racer MRSA Design Studio) to increase the design and engineering fee for the proposed Youth Recreation Center to $2,360,276.66, reflecting a revised schematic construction estimate of roughly $33.7 million.
Mayor (name not specified) and the administration said the higher A&E fee follows an August council decision to advance a larger building concept; the architect’s contract ties its fee to the construction estimate and the amendment would align the contract with the council‑directed scope. “The A and E fee shall be adjusted… based on 7% of the updated estimate of the cost of work at the conclusion of schematic design phase,” the administration summarized.
Council vote and outcome: An initial roll call on the amendment produced three yes votes and two no votes, and the motion failed for lack of a four‑vote affirmative threshold. Council members later moved to reconsider the failed motion, the council approved reconsideration unanimously (6–0) and then voted to postpone the item to the March 4 meeting to give the administration time to present a fuller financing plan and to allow further legal review.
Why it matters: The contract change would have increased the design fee by roughly $600,000 compared with the original figure tied to a $25 million construction assumption. The administration said the city will use a combination of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and previously designated city reserves for the community center and intended to bring a construction management and funding plan to council in March.
What council asked for: Members requested clearer documentation of what portion of design work has already been completed, how funds obligated to the project will be used, and legal clarification on whether the amendment must be adopted now or can be revisited when the construction management agreement and a final funding package are before council.
Next steps: The council set the item for further review and discussion at its next regular meeting on March 4.
