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Galt City Council unanimously awards fiber-optic contract, moves $225,000 in ARPA funds to project
Summary
The Galt City Council voted 5–0 on March 3 to award the CIP 6268 fiber-optic contract to the low bidder and to accept the 2025 housing element progress report; council discussed ARPA funding, trenching methods, large bid spreads and change-order controls.
The Galt City Council voted unanimously March 3 to award a contract for a citywide fiber‑optic project (CIP 6268) and to accept the 2025 Housing Element annual progress report.
City staff said the CIP will replace older point‑to‑point wireless links at four city sites — the Galt Market, the Littleton Center, the Parks & Recreation administration building and the Galt Aquatic Center — with underground fiber. Mr. Morton, a public‑works staff member, told the council approximately $225,000 remaining in an IT ARPA fund was moved into the CIP budget.
Councilmembers and members of the public pressed staff on procurement details. Harry Wentel, a resident, asked whether the work would require trenching; staff said the contractor will bore the conduit rather than trench. Questions also focused on a wide spread between the low and high bids. A public‑works representative said the city checks bidders’ past performance and that the low bidder, Bachman and Waddy, had previously completed successful local work.
Council discussion addressed how change orders and contingencies are handled on public works projects. Staff said the contract includes a set of bid items and that change orders for work outside those items must follow contract procedures and, if they exceed the approved contingency, would require council authorization for additional funding.
The motion to award the contract and accept the housing report passed on a roll call vote of 5–0. Vice Mayor (identified in the meeting record as both "Lee" and later "Reed" in separate transcript lines) and all councilmembers recorded aye votes.
The council did not provide a detailed timeline for construction beyond staff’s statement that the contract specified 25 working days for completion once work begins. Staff said the city’s existing fiber connects several other facilities already and that this project brings four remaining facilities in line with that internal network.
Next steps: staff will finalize contract paperwork with the awarded bidder and return to council if additional funds beyond the approved contingency are required.
