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Council defers Parametrix contract after debate over $78,700 inspection program
Summary
Bonney Lake officials discussed a $78,733.75 professional services agreement with Parametrix to implement a source-control inspection program required by the MPDS permit, questioned whether the work could be done cheaper by the health department or with grant-funded staff, and sent the item back to the Capital Development Committee for more details on staffing and funding.
Bonney Lake City Council members questioned whether to hire Parametrix to run a source-control inspection program or pursue lower-cost alternatives, ultimately agreeing to return the proposed contract to committee for more detail.
Public works staff told the council Parametrix’s scope centers on field-inspection training, a GIS inspection application, and records and inventory management, and estimated the expense at $78,733.75 drawn from an existing $100,000 storm CIP allocation. “We selected Parametrix, and Parametrix provided a scope and fee to implement this program,” the public works staff said.
Council members pressed on cost and capacity. Several members said the Tacoma–Pierce County Health Department previously offered an approach estimated by participants at about $50,000 over two years and asked whether that would have been adequate. “If we use the health department, they were not gonna train,” one participant said, while another countered that the health department had planned to train staff.
Staff said the consultant’s work includes training so city staff could take the program over in 2027, and told the council the inventory comprises roughly 170 businesses, with 34 inspections targeted per year (about 20% annually). The staff described an area-based inspection approach and said Parametrix would supply written best-practice packets and procedures for businesses.
Council members repeatedly highlighted a staffing shortfall: the city currently has one code-enforcement officer rather than the two they had planned, and several members argued that the cost reflected a consultant replacing nearly a half‑FTE of work. One council member suggested using the city’s $120,000 annual grant funding to hire a dedicated MPDS/stormwater staff member instead of contracting Parametrix; staff and other members noted grants can vary year to year and that hiring on grants poses long‑term retention risks.
After extended questioning about the knowledge gap, who would be trained, and whether the city could cooperate with neighboring jurisdictions or use interlocal agreements to share staff, the council agreed to send the Parametrix contract back to the Capital Development Committee (CDC) for a follow-up that would clarify who city staff would train, how many staff would be covered, how grant funds might be used, and timing before returning the contract for final council action.
The council did not take a final vote on the Parametrix contract during the meeting; staff were directed to return with more detailed staffing and funding options.
