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Board ratifies $150,786.09 MRI change order after debate over budget overruns and approval process
Summary
The Board ratified MRI Construction Change Order Estimate #500 for $150,786.09 after members debated carryover funding and whether a special meeting should have been held; the motion passed unanimously but led to direction for counsel to draft ground rules for future approvals.
The River Ridge Board ratified MRI Construction, Inc. Change Order Estimate #500 for Price Changes to Phase I and Phase II Stormwater Management Projects in the amount of $150,786.09 on Jan. 28, 2025.
Terry Mountford, vice chair, objected to the action on procedural and fiscal grounds, saying the CDD "was already $300,000+ over budget for this type of project" and that approving an additional $150,786.09 without a special meeting "is not being fiscally responsible." Charlie Krebs and Eric Long explained the field reasons for relocating inlets and the technical justification for the Change Order. Kurt Blumenthal said the apparent overrun resulted from a timing issue — projects planned for Fiscal Year 2024 were completed in Fiscal Year 2025 and the $500,000 loan funds were carried over — and defended the board's ability to fund the work. The board directed District Counsel Tony Pires to draft "ground rules" for approving projects over specified amounts, including when to schedule special meetings or set contingency approval thresholds. The ratification motion (mover: Blumenthal; second: Merrill) passed with all in favor.
The transcript records the motion and unanimous vote to ratify the change order but shows clear supervisory concern about process and budget oversight; the board took the procedural step of instructing counsel to propose formal rules to address similar situations.
