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Cumberland County extends middle-mile broadband engineering contract for one month while change-order dispute continues
Summary
Cumberland County approved a one-month extension on its middle-mile broadband engineering contract to keep the project moving while county staff and the contractor negotiate roughly $243,000 in disputed change orders.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved a one-month extension to an engineering services contract for middle-mile broadband work to avoid interrupting progress while the county and the contractor seek to resolve outstanding change-order disputes.
County staff told the board the contractor is "very close to completing the environmental phase" necessary to move the project forward; staff recommended a short extension so the county would have the environmental results rather than stopping the work. Commissioners questioned the merits of another short renewal after several months of pause and pressed staff for answers on outstanding billing and performance issues.
Commissioners said the project has been delayed and that change-order disputes have stalled progress. Staff described a discrepancy in change-order billing of about $243,000 and said the county would not guarantee future work until the contractor and the county can reach agreement on the change orders. Staff also said the county intends to pay for work that has been properly completed but will not pay charges the county deems unsupported by the original contract.
At least one commissioner said the extended contract should be month-to-month while the parties sort out the dispute; staff said the board has authority to renew month-to-month up to a year if necessary. Public comment asked where engineering work had been performed in the county; county staff responded that the engagement covers engineering and route planning only and is not construction work in the field.
The resolution amends Resolution 2024-168 to extend the contract for one month. Commissioners indicated that if the dispute is not resolved within the extension period, the county will consider a resolution to pay any agreed amounts or to terminate the contract pending further action. The record shows commissioners pressed for clearer answers about when the dispute would be resolved and what the county would pay.
The board approved the amendment to extend the contract and directed staff to continue efforts to resolve the change-order discrepancies and complete the environmental phase for the project.
