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Berrien County staff seek expedited contract with Whiteman to repair structurally damaged culvert
Summary
County staff told commissioners an urgent culvert failure discovered during inspections requires structural engineering and quick contracting with Whiteman; the county plans to move an emergency requisition through committee for expedited approval.
Berrien County staff told the board of commissioners that an inspection contractor found structural failure beneath a county culvert and urged the board to accelerate contracting so repairs can begin quickly.
Community services and administrative staff said Whiteman, the private contractor that performs county culvert inspections, discovered critical damage to a culvert this week. Road department staff and Whiteman inspected the site and decided one lane could remain open while work proceeds. County staff asked commissioners to allow an expedited requisition and a finance waiver so Whiteman can begin structural engineering and design work for the repair.
The county’s finance administrator said the design work required is beyond in-house engineering capacity and that the county expects to present a requisition for an engineering agreement with Whiteman for the board’s consideration that day. County staff said they will attempt to route the request through both the administrative and finance committees to expedite approval and allow the contractor to start in a “hurry up” manner.
Commissioners briefly discussed the requisition process and conflict-of-interest disclosures for a separate blanket requisition involving First Church of God, which one commissioner said would be marked as an abstention. Staff said a finalized requisition package (version 6) would be circulated to commissioners once costs and a finance waiver were confirmed.
The matter remained at the requisition stage in the transcript: staff sought concurrence from committee chairs to forward the emergency request to the full board and to seek the finance committee’s waiver. No final contract award or vote to authorize Whiteman to begin structural repairs appears in the transcript excerpt provided.
County staff identified next procedural steps: (1) complete and circulate the requisition and accompanying waiver to commissioners, (2) seek concurrence from the administrative and finance committees, and (3) proceed to the board for final approval. Staff said more detailed cost estimates and schedule information would be provided when available.
Officials cautioned that the requisition and waiver would be considered by the finance committee; if finance approves the waiver, the full board could act at the 10:30 meeting. The transcript records staff asking whether committee chairs were comfortable moving the request forward and one committee chair responding, "I'm perfectly fine with it. Move it forward, please."
