Council refers proposed municipal engineering contract to city attorney after FMB presentation

City Administrator Rachel Witherspoon told the special meeting that staff had completed an engineering RFP and drafted a proposed contract for the council to review, and asked the council to authorize sending the draft to the city attorney for formal review. “I went back, sat down with FMB as well as Mayor Protemp and discussed what council would be looking for in that contract,” Witherspoon said, adding the attorney had not yet completed a legal review.

Representatives from the engineering firm introduced themselves and described the firm’s municipal experience. David Dind, identified as the regional manager in the Farmington Hills office, said the firm performs both design and construction-phase services and works with a structural group on bridge projects. “We perform the design ourselves on those,” Dind said about bridge work, and noted the firm’s team has worked on projects ranging from bridge inspections to the MLK bridge replacement, where they served as design and project management partners.

Council members questioned the firm about practical services and contract terms. When asked how the firm handles resident complaints about potholes, flooding or sinkholes, the firm said staff would inspect sites, photograph conditions, pursue potential grant or matching funding, and prepare scoped proposals while coordinating with the city’s DPW and building department. On fees, members reviewed an example in the packet showing a $2,500,000 water-main construction project with a 6.5% design fee and a 4.75% contract administration fee — figures the participants said are guideline percentages that would be negotiated on a per-project basis.

The firm also described dedicated environmental and brownfield capability and said a senior engineer has led data-center projects for other local governments. Chris Hennessy, identified as grants and funding development professional, said the firm actively tracks funding opportunities and expects to bring potential grant options to the city for major priorities, including a multi-year dredging and sediment-removal effort for the Detroit River area affecting Gibraltar. “I think it’s about a $70 million project…70% of it will be approved through federal government granting,” Hennessy said, while noting that exact shares will depend on phased planning and grant approvals.

After discussion, Councilman Wolner moved to refer the draft contract to the city attorney for legal review; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. Witherspoon said staff will submit the draft and follow up with the council once the attorney’s review is complete.

The council briefly reopened public comment and recognized a speaker identified in the transcript as Wayne. A motion to adjourn carried by voice vote and the meeting concluded with the next regular meeting stated as 6:30.