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Council approves $276,675 transfer for Avenue F design after public request to pull item
Summary
After a public speaker asked that the item be pulled for transparency, the City Council approved an ordinance transferring up to $276,675 from the unreserved fund balance to fund design services for Avenue F.
The Midlothian City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance moving up to $276,675 from the city's unreserved general fund balance to pay for design services for improvements to Avenue F.
The council voted 4-0 to approve the budget amendment after removing item D from the consent agenda for discussion and then taking a separate vote to approve it. The ordinance funds a professional services agreement with Park Hill for Avenue F design services at a cost not to exceed $276,675.
At the start of the meeting, resident Lisa Healy urged the council to pull item D and to explain why the cost for the Avenue F project had risen. "I am speaking tonight on behalf of making a request that item d on the agenda is pulled. And we have a full explanation why the repairs for Avenue F has gone from $40,000 price tag to now over $276,000," Healy said. She asked for the matter to be delayed so the public could understand what led to the increase.
Council members and staff clarified for the meeting record that the $276,675 request is for the design of Avenue F corridor upgrades under the downtown master plan and is separate from a previously approved $40,000 design for Seventh Street. A staff member noted, "the 40,000 that was referenced before was the design for Avenue Seventh Street. We did approve a $40,000 design for Seventh Street, which is a different project than Avenue F that's talked about here."
The council first approved the consent agenda minus item D by a motion from Councilman Rogers and a second from Councilman Sheffield. After discussion and a motion by Councilman Weaver to approve item D, seconded by Councilman Sheffield, the council approved the ordinance 4-0.
The motion transfers the funds from the unreserved fund balance into the general fund to pay for the Park Hill contract and advances the Avenue F design to the next phase of planning. The ordinance text and design contract amount were discussed on the public record at the June 24 meeting when council previously authorized the city manager to execute the professional services agreement.
No amendments to the design scope were recorded during the meeting; council members asked only clarifying questions about whether the appropriation covered repairs (it does not) and whether the $40,000 referenced earlier was related (it is not).
