Council questions Powell/PAL project finances after consent item; staff to reconcile remaining balance

The council considered a consent‑calendar item that included a notice of completion related to the Powell (PAL) project and raised questions about remaining grant and contract balances.

Council member Reyna examined the staff report and said the numbers on the report showed a difference of "$104,182.51" between funds received and funds spent and asked whether that remainder had been assigned. City staff replied they did not believe the remaining balance as presented was accurate and that they would double‑check the figures and return with clarification.

During the same discussion staff and finance clarified that some project costs were billed directly by the city (equipment purchases, internal labor) rather than through the external contractor, and that the consent report primarily reconciled contractor amounts and change orders. A finance staff member said, to their understanding, only about ‘‘under $5,000 total remaining’’ would be left on the contractor side after reconciliation, but staff committed to provide a full breakdown to council member Reyna.

Why it matters: the Powell/PAL project used grant funds and multiple procurement routes (city‑billed equipment and contractor change orders). Council members wanted assurance the remaining funds were accounted for and asked staff to show a clear reconciliation of received, committed and spent dollars.

The consent calendar, which contained this item among others, was approved unanimously; staff said they will follow up with the numerical breakdown and an explanation of how the grant and city‑billed items were reconciled.