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Orting approves $49,006 contractor settlement for bridge delay; council questions mayoral change-order authority
Summary
City staff said Quigg Brothers will receive $49,006.31 and 47 additional working days for shaft repairs on the Emergency Evacuation Bridge; several council members criticized the use of mayoral authority to execute change orders without full council review.
Interim city administrator Mark Bethune informed the council that Quigg Brothers requested compensation for extended on-site overhead tied to shaft investigations and repairs on the Emergency Evacuation Bridge project. Staff negotiated a settlement of $49,006.31 to be paid from the project’s contingency and granted the contractor 47 additional working days for critical-path delays.
Several council members challenged the process. Council member Williams called the negotiated reduction under the council-reporting threshold “a little shady” and urged full council review when an original claim approached six figures. Council member Reid questioned how a critical-path delay could exist when the project had previously been described as on time and on budget and asked for justification of the additional payment. The city attorney said change-order authority granted to the mayor and administration had been used lawfully and that undoing a completed change order is difficult.
Bethune and staff said they reduced the contractor’s original request (which sought more days and indirect costs) in negotiation and that acting swiftly can sometimes avoid larger critical-path delays that would increase overall costs. The mayor executed the settlement and staff recorded the contingency reduction; the council received the item as informational with additional follow-up and discussion planned for March 11.
Why it matters: The payment reduces the project contingency and highlights governance questions about when the mayor may execute change orders versus when council review is required. Council members expressed concern about transparency and the potential for future cost escalation on large capital projects.
Next steps: Staff will provide documentation on the claim, the calculation of the 47 working days, and contingency balances at the March 11 meeting; the council signaled interest in reassessing change-order authorization policies.
