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Schultz: city can scale replacement work if funded, but staffing and local conditions complicate delivery
Summary
Utilities Director Schultz said the city has qualified contractors and could manage large funding if it arrived, but unique island soils, specialized treatment staff and limited in-house capacity make program delivery challenging without targeted contracting and communication improvements.
Council members asked whether the utilities department could manage a sudden influx of funding for large-scale replacement. Rob Schultz said that, while contractors are identified and the city could scale delivery, staffing, project management and local soil conditions introduce complexity.
"Yep. I'd actually It's a money problem," Schultz said when asked whether the department could deploy $50 million quickly; he also noted the city uses qualifications-based contracts and is cautious about outsourcing specialized treatment and project management functions. Schultz said communication and customer service capacity are being improved and that some delivery tasks will require contractors given the technical nature of the work.
Councilors encouraged the director to return budgeted staffing and CIP scenarios that reflect the likely need for external contracting, community communication and prioritized sequencing to reduce neighborhood disruption.
