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Krebs City Council tables $59,000 dam repair contract after engineer calls for extra reinforcement
Summary
Krebs City Council on Dec. 4 tabled a vote on a $59,000 contract to repair the dam at Krebs Lake after the city’s engineer recommended additional reinforcement and a revised price; councilmembers disputed whether the work should have been publicly bid. An emergency meeting will be called when the new estimate arrives.
Mayor Tommy Ray Walker said the city engineer returned with changes to strengthen repairs at the dam on Krebs Lake, and the concrete contractor is revising his price to cover additional reinforcement work. "He looked over and said we need to change this and this and this," Walker said, and the contractor was expected to provide an updated estimate "in the next day or two."
Councilmember Connie Poole pressed the council to publicly advertise bids for the work, saying: "When you don't put it out there in the public... it's not being fair to everybody out there." Walker replied that current procurement rules do not require sealed bids unless a project is $100,000 or more and that the engineer had suggested contractors the city had vetted. "That's why we hire an engineer. He knows people that me and you don't know," Walker said.
Walker told the council the repairs need to be finished by the end of the year to avoid fines and that weather and contractor availability could affect timing. Councilmembers discussed the trade-off between seeking broader bids and moving quickly to meet the deadline.
Faced with an outstanding, revised cost estimate, Councilmember David Bailey moved to table the contract until the full price for the added reinforcement is available; Councilmember Dan Heathcock seconded and requested an emergency meeting as soon as the information is known. The motion to table passed on a voice roll call (Dan Heathcock — yes; Connie Poole — yes; Jason Wagnon — yes; David Bailey — yes).
Mayor Walker said he will notify councilmembers when the contractor provides the revised quote and will arrange a subsequent meeting to consider the award; he also said he will have the engineer inspect work as it proceeds. The timeline for completion remains uncertain and could extend into January depending on weather and contractor schedules.
