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Council approves $672,000 Safe Routes professional-services contract after debate over soft costs
Summary
Council approved a professional services contract (work order 2524) to advance 19 Safe Routes to School projects using federal funds despite objections about high soft costs from some members; three council members voted against the contract while others argued delaying could risk federal funding.
Billings — After extended discussion over project scope and soft costs, the City Council approved a professional-services contract related to Safe Routes to School work order 2524.
Council member Aspen Leiter said the proposal appeared "overblown from an engineering perspective" and criticized the contract's soft-cost assumptions, saying she would vote no. City engineer Mac Fockelson acknowledged the staff had used conservative budgeting: "We go in with a base level, and then we go up from there," he told the council, adding the scope may be trimmed during design.
Council members who supported the motion said the city has long sought to move Safe Routes projects forward and that federal funding creates a limited opportunity. Council member Shaw said she did not want to delay a “major investment in Safe Routes to School for our community.”
The motion to approve the contract passed. Council members Aspen Leiter, Rogers, and Tidwell recorded votes in opposition; supporters stressed staff commitments to reduce soft costs where appropriate and to manage design-phase decisions to stay within budget.
What happens next: staff will implement the work order, pursue efficient design choices where possible, and report back to council on opportunities to reduce nonconstruction costs during the design and procurement phases.
