City staff presented the apparent low bid of $17,741,776.50 for the SSA remedial measures project (project 17‑13), a result notably higher than the engineer’s estimate. Engineering representatives from Hawkins & Weir explained that the discrepancy is largely unit‑price driven and that the 30,000 linear-feet scope could be naturally split into east and west halves.

Public commenters called for caution. Joy McCutcheon said the city had “repeatedly violated the citizens trust” and asked why the city would not hire an independent external expert to manage the consent-decree–related construction; Levon Morton urged breaking large contracts into smaller components so local contractors can bid. “This bid has gone from an initial estimate of $11,000,000…now it’s up over $17,000,000,” McCutcheon said.

Directors pressed staff on options: rebid windows, bond/capacity constraints, whether releasing bid tabulations would affect a rebid, and whether projects could be packaged sequentially to allow local firms to participate. Larry Yancey of Hawkins said the project “does have a pretty natural split into the east and west halves” and staff agreed to develop alternative packaging and schedule options.

On a motion by Director Gustavus, seconded by Director Settle, the board voted to table items 2 through 5 until a January study session so staff can present alternatives. The motion passed 6–0.

Outcome and next steps: Staff will present repackaging options, a rebid schedule, and recommendations about procurement windows and program/project management for consent‑decree work at the January study session. Directors also asked for clarity on how these early bid premiums might affect the larger multi‑year consent‑decree financing plan.