Board approves master service agreements with three engineering firms for on-call road work

The Hochatown Board of Trustees voted to enter master service agreements (MSAs) with three engineering firms to provide on-call road engineering services on an as-needed basis. The board approved the action after a discussion about procurement procedures, work-order billing and options for retaining multiple vendors.

Jeffrey Dixon, who introduced himself earlier as a representative of Craft and Toll, told the board, "The master service agreement just allows us to negotiate with Adam on a small small project basis and be at your beck and call on a minute's notice." Trustees said MSAs will let the town respond to drainage, culvert and minor road repairs without launching full competitive procurements for every small job.

The motion instructed staff to finalize agreements with the three firms listed in the packet. A recorded roll-call vote showed one trustee recorded a dissenting "No" and the motion carried. Trustees also asked staff to include clear billing rates on future work orders and to track invoices against the road-maintenance budget so the board can monitor expenses.

Board members said the MSAs are intended to complement, not replace, larger engineering contracts and to make small, practical repairs faster and less administratively burdensome.