Board ratifies $150,786 change order amid criticism over process and budget carryover

The River Ridge Board ratified MRI Construction, Inc. Change Order Estimate #500 for Price Changes on the Phase I and Phase II stormwater management projects for $150,786.09. Kurt Blumenthal moved the ratification and Keith Merrill seconded; the motion passed "with all in favor."

Vice Chair Terry Mountford strongly objected to the process, saying there "is a major dysfunction in the CDD’s operating process" and criticizing approval of the additional expense without convening a special meeting given the CDD was already, in his words, "$300,000+ over budget" for similar work. District Engineer Charlie Krebs and others explained that field conditions required relocating inlets and that the adjusted scope produced a functional result to eliminate standing water; District Counsel Tony Pires was directed to draft ground rules for approving project changes above a specified dollar threshold.

Board members debated contingency policies, scheduling special meetings for large, out-of-cycle expenditures, and carrying project loan funds into the next fiscal year; Mr. Blumenthal noted the $500,000 loan for stormwater management was carried over into Fiscal Year 2025 because projects did not finish in Fiscal Year 2024.