Harris hires Bollig as city engineer

The Harris City Council voted unanimously on Feb. 12 to hire Bollig to serve as the city’s engineering firm, following a presentation from Bollig representatives that emphasized the firm’s experience with small communities and grant planning.

Bollig representatives including Kris Ambuehl, Nathan Feist and Laura Ostlie told the council the firm is structured to serve communities of about 1,500 to 2,000 residents and has 52 employees in several locations. They said Bollig provides planning, funding and engineering services, does not charge for mileage to attend meetings, and would assign a single city contact to coordinate work. The presenters described an initial needs-assessment step to evaluate Harris’s finances and infrastructure and plan out 10-, 20-, 50- and up-to-100-year scenarios; they also said Bollig would redraw files at its own cost during a transition to prevent errors.

Councilmember Garret Pearson moved to hire Bollig as city engineer; Councilmember Al Siedow seconded the motion. The council voted “all in favor,” and the motion carried.

Why it matters: a designated city engineer typically coordinates infrastructure planning, grant applications and long-term capital projects. Council members cited Bollig’s capacity to assist with grants and its multi-discipline staffing as reasons for selection. The firm’s proposal to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment was described as key to capturing future grant opportunities.

Next steps: the council approved hiring Bollig and authorized staff to finalize contract details and a transition plan. The presentation and unanimous vote leave the city positioned to begin the firm’s initial assessment and follow-up planning work.