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Brainerd City committee approves staff plan for 2027 CIP project roles
Summary
The Brainerd City Public Works Committee endorsed staff recommendations on which 2027 street, sewer and water projects will be handled in‑house and which will be consultant‑led, enabling staff to begin consultant solicitations and advance project development.
Public Works Director Paul Sandy told the Brainerd City Public Works Committee that staff has prepared a snapshot of a proposed 2027 capital improvement plan covering streets, sanitary sewer, water and storm sewer projects and is seeking the committee’s concurrence on which projects should be delivered in‑house versus by consultants.
The presentation highlighted three annual maintenance projects (seal coat, street patching and striping) that staff recommends keeping in‑house and several larger reconstruction efforts — notably the Lynnwood/Edgewood/Brentwood and Haines Addition reconstruction projects — for which staff recommends consultant‑led design and construction engineering. Sandy said the city has already begun preliminary surveying and that some projects, including the February reconstruction, are already under contract with SEH for construction engineering.
Committee members pressed on the workload and cost tradeoffs of self‑performing work versus hiring consultants. Sandy said the city’s two engineering technicians limit staff capacity and that consultants provide specialized capabilities such as stormwater design and water‑modeling that would require hiring additional in‑house technical staff. He added that consultant fees on complex projects can add roughly “15–25%” for design and construction engineering but that engaging consultants earlier — up to 18–24 months before construction — should improve bid timing and pricing.
A committee member moved to approve staff’s recommendations on project roles so staff could start preparing task orders and solicitations for consultant services. The motion passed unanimously.
The committee’s concurrence allows staff to proceed with soliciting task orders for consultant‑led projects and to present a formal CIP to city council after new staff onboarding in July, with a planned council presentation in August.
