Supervisors approve $6,576 change order after staff negotiation

The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 10 approved change order number 3 for the county engineer and zoning building in the amount of $6,576 after staff reviews trimmed the contractor's original estimate.

County development director Eric Furnace told the board the change order “started some time ago during the code review with the city” and that an earlier contractor estimate had been about $30,000. He credited staff work for narrowing that amount: “we're down to $6,000 from a $30,000 starting point,” Furnace said, and praised staff member Brandon for pressing for credits and detail. Furnace described scope changes including firewall adjustments, moved dampers and the addition of an ADA-accessible shower in one restroom.

A board member moved to approve the change order and the chair announced the motion carried. The transcript does not record a complete, roll-call vote tally; the meeting record states only that the motion carried. The board did not provide additional budget-line or contract-identifier details during the discussion.

Furnace said the contractor provided a change order the parties agreed upon after meetings with city staff and the architect. He emphasized the importance of detailed change-order documentation so the county can verify credits and avoid overpaying. The board proceeded to the next agenda item following the vote.