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Council authorizes negotiations on Water Plant 4 engineering and a possible interconnect with Stanley Lake MUD
Summary
Council authorized staff and the city engineer to negotiate design services for Water Plant 4 with Baxter & Woodman and to begin talks on a cost-sharing interconnect with Stanley Lake MUD; estimated preliminary cost for the interconnect is about $340,000, with the city's share expected to be under $100,000.
The Montgomery City Council authorized city staff and its engineering firm to negotiate a professional services contract for Water Plant Number 4 and directed staff to begin negotiating a possible emergency waterline interconnect with Stanley Lake Municipal Utility District (MUD) and a neighboring developer.
Staff recommended Baxter & Woodman as the top-qualified firm for design of Water Plant 4, citing local experience with similar projects. Council authorized WGA (the city’s engineer) to lead negotiations with Baxter & Woodman and the city attorney; the motion to authorize negotiations passed by voice vote. Staff emphasized that authorization to negotiate does not itself award a design contract—the final fee and contract will return to council for approval.
Council also authorized staff to begin negotiating an interconnect agreement with Stanley Lake MUD and a nearby developer to provide an additional emergency water source and redundancy. Staff presented a preliminary cost estimate for the interconnect of about $340,000 and said the developer portion would carry the majority of the line; the estimated city share would be under $100,000 under the current cost split. Staff stressed that authorizing negotiations does not obligate the city to construct the interconnect; formal construction authorization would require future council action.
Council members asked questions about the scope of services the engineering firm will provide and the inspector role during construction. Staff explained that construction-administration and daily inspection work will be described in the negotiated contract; the city’s inspector may perform day-to-day verification to retain efficiency and economy of scale.
Council approved both authorizations: (1) to proceed with negotiations for Water Plant 4 design with Baxter & Woodman (via WGA) and (2) to direct staff to negotiate an interconnect and cost-sharing arrangement with Stanley Lake MUD and a developer. The approvals will let staff prepare draft agreements and return with negotiated terms and contract costs for the council to consider.
