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Council presses staff on $109,900 design contract increase for South Side plant work
Summary
Councilman Craver questioned why a consultant contract for a backwash system at the South Side treatment plant rose from $40,000 to $109,900; staff said the higher cost reflects missing as‑built drawings and limited front‑end verification.
Councilman Craver asked staff about a contract increase in item 7, noting the proposed consultant fee rose from an initial $40,000 to $109,900.
"Just seeing the initial cost of it from 40,000 that raised to a 109,900 from Hazen and Sawyer," Craver said, requesting explanation of design gaps and whether the increase was avoidable. City staff (Matthew) acknowledged the concern, explaining that project budgeting had minimized front‑end field verification and instead relied on older drawings. "The cost you're seeing now is the cost that we would have brought to you in the 1st place," the staff member said, adding that missing as‑built documentation and unexpected pipe supports and conditions increased scope.
Staff described this as a deliberate decision to scope the contract narrowly to save front‑end dollars and accept the risk of change orders; Matthew said the city typically bears surprises when as‑built records are incomplete. Council discussed responsibility for discrepancies and pressed for clearer explanation of why the larger fee was required; the council approved the item with one no vote from Councilmember Craver.
