Hatfield Council unanimously approves $3.18 million Broad/North Main utility contract, repayment plan and contractor integrity rules

Hatfield Borough Council on July 17 approved a slate of resolutions that together commit the borough to a major utility replacement contract, formalize repayment of funds taken from reserves, and tighten procurement requirements tied to grant funding.

The council voted to award the Broad Street and North Main Street utility replacement contract to KBC Construction (Warminster, Pa.) for a total apparent low bid of $3,175,264.75. Borough Manager Jamie E. Snider and the borough engineer recommended KBC after reference checks; the bid includes roughly $2.3 million for borough work plus an alternate of about $811,900 related to North Penn Water Authority work, for which North Penn provided a letter of good-faith commitment to approve the alternate at its next meeting. At the meeting the mayor called for the motion and the council recorded unanimous approval with no opposition noted.

The council also adopted a resolution formalizing repayment of $500,000 that the borough previously borrowed from its investment accounts. Manager Snider summarized a proposed payback schedule of up to five years, which she described as roughly $99,000 per year (the packet showed an annualized plan and monthly-equivalent figures used for budgeting). Snider said the resolution allows earlier repayment if sufficient funds become available and framed the move as transparent fiscal stewardship after borrowing from reserves earlier in the year.

Council adopted contractor integrity provisions required by certain grantors and incorporated those provisions into project bid specifications. Snider said the language reflects legal requirements commonly attached to grants (nondiscrimination, anti-harassment, and related obligations) and is meant to ensure eligibility for state and federal project funding.

Other actions approved unanimously included designating the borough manager as the authorized agent to close out a small DCED (state) project finalization and appointing borough representatives to the Pennsylvania Municipal Power Agency (PMPA) — designating Jamie E. Snider as the borough director/representative and Stephen S. Ficker Jr. as alternate. Council also approved payment of the bills listed in the meeting packet.

Why it matters: The utility replacement contract is the largest single procurement on the agenda and is tied to multi‑agency coordination (borough work and a North Penn alternate), a near-term construction start after contract award, and use of capital reserve and financing. Formalizing the repayment schedule and adopting contractor integrity language both position the borough to comply with grantor requirements and provide transparency about how reserve funds will be restored.

Details and next steps: The contract award authorizes the borough to move forward with pre‑construction steps and scheduling; borough staff said they will execute the award paperwork and hold a pre‑construction meeting with the contractor and stakeholders. North Penn Water Authority still needs a board vote to accept the contract alternate; the borough received a letter indicating North Penn intends to approve the alternate. The council announced it would hold an executive session to discuss real estate, litigation and personnel matters and adjourned the public meeting.

At the meeting, Manager Jamie E. Snider provided the procurement and finance briefings and answered members’ procedural questions; council members moved and seconded the actions and the meeting transcript records unanimous voice votes with no opposition.