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Harris council hears competing presentations from Widseth and MSA on engineering services
Summary
At a Feb. 11, 2025 special meeting, Harris City Council heard presentations from Widseth and incumbent firm MSA outlining staffing, office networks and transition approaches; no selection was made. A procedural motion to adjourn carried unanimously among members present.
Harris — The Harris City Council convened a special meeting Feb. 11, 2025 to hear competing presentations from two engineering firms vying to provide municipal engineering services.
Mayor Randy Carlson called the meeting to order at 2:56 p.m. City Clerk Shannon Geier conducted roll call and reported a quorum: Councilmembers Craig Moline, Al Siedow and Garret Pearson were present; Councilmember Chell Borash was absent.
Representatives from Widseth presented first. Tim Houle and Frank Brodeen described Widseth as a multi-discipline firm based in Wyoming, Minnesota, with 12 offices and about 250 team members. They told the council Widseth does not bill for 15-minute phone calls, routine correspondence or attendance at meetings and does not require a monthly retainer. On transition, they said Widseth would tailor its approach to what the incumbent firm had completed and been paid for and could coordinate so the outgoing firm finishes current projects while Widseth begins new work.
MSA, the incumbent engineering firm for Harris, then presented. Chuck Schwartz, Steve Winter, Claire Stickler and Jeff Powell said MSA is a full-service, employee-owned firm based in St. Paul with 17 offices and about 450 employees across four states. They told the council MSA could scale the transition to the city’s preference, split projects between firms if desired, and partner with another firm during any handoff.
Councilmembers did not take a hiring vote at the meeting. Councilmember Garret Pearson moved to adjourn; Councilmember Al Siedow seconded. The motion carried with all members present voting in favor, and the meeting was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
The presentations covered firms’ staffing, billing practices and transition options; the council did not announce a next-step timeline or selection at the meeting.
