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Resident says she signed authorization; council questions payment authority under cooperative agreement
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Summary
Carolyn Harris told the council she signed papers authorizing contractor access but was not told about required tax paperwork; staff said the city lacks an owner-signed authorization to change the payee and cannot make payment without corrected documentation.
Carolyn Harris, a resident who identified herself to the council, said she signed forms permitting a contractor to enter and perform work on a property but was not told she needed to provide tax paperwork such as a W-9.
"All I was told was that I needed to sign the papers so she could be able to go on the premises and do the work," Harris said. "No one told me anything about a W-9 or anything like that." She said she signed the documents so the contractor could be paid for the work.
Staff described the arrangement as a cooperative endeavor agreement (CEA) between the city and a private representative. City staff told the council that while work was performed, the city does not have documentation showing the owner or an authorized representative gave the specific consent required to change the paying party or to authorize payment to a third party.
A staff member said the prior paying-party designation created the current problem and that, "by the time we got to the point where we could change the paying party to pay, this was five months down the road and everybody was..."
Council discussion centered on whether the original consent Harris signed is sufficient to trigger payment and whether the city can lawfully alter the payee on the contract after the work was done. Staff advised that, to authorize payment, the city needs a properly executed alteration that makes clear who the paying party is and that the owner or authorized representative provided written consent.
The council did not take a formal vote on payment during the portion of the meeting recorded in the transcript. Officials said they would bring the issue back to the agenda with corrected documentation and recommended approvals only after the altered consent and payee information are verified.
Next steps: staff to place corrected documentation on a future agenda so the council can consider payment authorization once proper consent and payee information are on file.
