At the work session the council reviewed two budget amendments on the upcoming voting agenda: a transfer of $30,000 from the general fund nonpartner contingency to capital for a traffic-signal camera project at 11th and Noble, and a second amendment to cover a $337,697 final payment tied to the Chief Ladiga Trail project.

Project staff explained that five change orders processed during construction raised the contract value from about $6.8 million back toward $7.3 million and described the net cost overrun as approximately 5% of the total contract value, noting that is relatively low compared with 10% overruns seen on comparable projects. Staff said the change orders had been approved by the city manager and that the work has been completed and is at final payment stage.

Several council members questioned reductions in contingency funding and asked whether prior use of $25,000 per ward had affected the city’s current paving budget. Staff responded that the $25,000 per-ward allocations had been addressed earlier in the project budgeting and that the city was now at the final payment stage for the trail work.

A council member warned that failing to complete the required project scope could trigger reimbursement obligations to the Federal Highway Administration; the transcript’s numeric detail on potential reimbursement was garbled and the exact amount was not specified in the work-session record.

Other items discussed that are scheduled as standalone resolutions or consent items include declaring certain personal property surplus, demolition bids for three CDBG properties, addition of a $5,000 donation line item for the local high-school football team to the consent agenda, and setting a public hearing on a city-manager petition to consider revoking a business license.

Staff also announced operational changes and savings: removal of an automated phone-tree so callers reach a person, and a plan to maintain the Chief Ladiga Trail in-house rather than with a contract estimated at about $160,000, which staff said will save money.

None of the budget amendments recorded a final vote in the work session transcript; the items were placed on the voting agenda for the council meeting.