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Council authorizes emergency change order to restore Channel 2B after engineers warn of flooding risk
Summary
After resident testimony about recurring flooding, city engineers urged restoring Channel 2B along with Channel 1; council approved emergency authorization and gave the mayor delegated authority to negotiate contracts so work can proceed quickly.
Residents and staff pressed the council on a long‑running drainage problem that has flooded backyards and threatened private property. An engineering presentation showed that incomplete downstream works increased the risk of property flooding and that restoring Channel 2B along with Channel 1 was the recommended engineering fix.
The city engineer (speaker 14) told council that not restoring Channel 2B could "completely flood" certain properties and said TML, the city's insurer, and prior legal advice supported completing the downstream work. The engineer presented line‑item cost extractions from the contractor's channel bid and asked council for emergency authorization to include Channel 2B in a change order for the current contractor. Council members pressed staff for a not‑to‑exceed figure but were told some hauling and excavation estimates were still being finalized. One council member moved to approve the change order authority and to allow the mayor to negotiate contract documents; the motion carried and staff was instructed to return with final cost numbers if they exceed typical change‑order thresholds.
Council and staff also discussed maintenance responsibilities and easement ownership; staff said many channel easements are on homeowners' property and that policy discussion about long‑term maintenance will be needed as part of future budgets.
