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Council approves authorization for South Slope wastewater change orders with 30-day ratification for large items
Summary
Council authorized city staff to approve change orders for the South Slope Wastewater Reclamation Facility up to a $3,415,860 contingency, adding an amendment that requires any individual or aggregated change orders above $100,000 to be brought to council for ratification within 30 days of necessary signatures.
Council approved a resolution authorizing the director of utilities, with concurrence of the director of finance and the city administrator, to approve change orders for the South Slope Wastewater Reclamation Facility project in a total amount not to exceed $3,415,860, and the council adopted an amendment requiring that all change orders above $100,000 be presented to council for ratification within 30 days of necessary signatures.
City staff explained the request as an operational measure to avoid construction delays on a large capital project while maintaining checks and balances through finance and administrative review. "What we are looking for is authorization that exceeds the purchasing policy as it was adopted in code," Mr. Vitas said, framing the request as a way to keep work moving while requiring monthly reporting and eventual council ratification for larger items.
Council members raised procedural safeguards and notification timing. Alderson Schmidt asked how soon the council would be notified about change orders and requested a codified time frame; the city attorney proposed language requiring ratification within 30 days for change orders above $100,000, and the council accepted an amendment adding that sentence. The attorney also suggested keeping a running total and reporting that figure in the monthly status report so council can monitor contingency usage.
Why it matters: approving on-the-spot change-order authority for a major public-works project speeds construction and prevents routine delays for low-dollar items, but it also reduces the number of votes the full council takes on individual change orders. The 30-day ratification amendment creates a specific timeline for council oversight of larger change orders and aggregated expenditures that exceed purchasing-policy thresholds.
Key procedural points: staff said electronic or monthly reporting will notify council of ongoing drawdowns, and that payments will not be released without required administrative review. The council voted on the amendment and then on the resolution as amended; roll calls in the record show unanimous or near-unanimous support with the amendment in place.
What’s next: the project proceeds under the approved change-order authority; staff committed to monthly reporting and to presenting change orders above $100,000 to the council within 30 days of signatures for ratification.
Quotes from the record: "If it's something that is that serious, I'm sure he would call at a special meeting or a telephone meeting... But we can't — they can't wait for us to have the next meeting on a project of a $138,000,000," one alderperson said to illustrate the logistics of managing large capital projects. The city attorney proposed the ratification timeline: "All change orders above $100,000 will come to the city council for ratification within 30 days of all necessary signatures."
