Council continues debate on change‑order authority for $160M school project; will revisit Dec. 8

Council continued a detailed discussion about how the town will handle time‑sensitive change orders during the multi‑year school construction program. Consultants and committee members urged a nimble approval path for routine increases so that work crews are not delayed; others raised transparency concerns tied to the Open Meetings Act if a subcommittee is given spending authority. One working idea under discussion was delegating pre‑authorization authority for relatively small amounts to staff or a small group while reserving large change orders for fuller committee or council review.

A school‑construction committee member summarized a straw framework: cluster smaller change orders under delegated authority and reserve larger ones for broader review, with the committee exploring thresholds (audio discussion noted $250,000 as one possible cap for delegated action). Council agreed to continue the discussion at a future meeting (Dec. 8), seek legal counsel clarification about OMA implications and consider whether the superintendent and town manager could jointly authorize emergency authorizations to proceed while preserving subsequent public oversight.