REVIEW CITY SERVICE CONTRACTS
Two of the contracts that the city renews each year are for the city attorney and city engineer. It’s time the city put these services out for bid, not only to evaluate potential cost savings but also to assess the benefits of hiring firms that may better serve our community.
City Engineering Firm: We need to reevaluate our relationship with the current engineering firm due to budget overruns and questionable project needs. The 2021 street renewal project ran over by $110,000, requiring the city to borrow against other projects, with a repayment cost of $7,273 over 15 years. The 2023 street renewal project also had a 4% overage. Additionally, the estimates for pump house upgrades were off by nearly $400,000 last year, and the project to drill a new well has faced multiple issues. It’s time for the city to explore other engineering firms that can provide better service and cost management.
City Attorney: We should put our long-standing city attorney services out for bid to assess costs and expertise, ensuring we get the best value for our expense. The argument so far has been that this attorney knows our city’s history. However, I’m not convinced that this is a strong enough reason to stick with the current law firm. It’s time we consider other options.