16 - Third Party Engineer Firm to review Utility Bond Project

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with the recent resignation of the City Engineer. The remaining staff, that being primarily the City Manager and Public Works Director, now need to focus on moving the existing project towards completion, working with the Design Engineer, Third Party Inspector, and Contractor. To perform the needed audit of this Package #4 project, which has extended over 5 years and across much of western Paris, a Third Party would be needed to accomplish this. It is highly advisable that if the City Council pursues this Third Parry Engineering Audit route, that it not in any way interfere with the City's existing contracts, but instead operate in parallel. It would also be advisable that the City Manager be directed to either identify a single qualified firm or multiple firms, but for the City Council to meet and interview this firm(s) to make sure the Council is confident and comfortable with that entity. BUDGET: At this point, without a known scope of service, the City Manager does not have any estimate to provide the City Council as to what a Third Party Audit might cost. For City Staff to perform such a review would have considerable cost in lost production on other matters, including continuing to perform the City's role in oversight of this project towards completion. There is expected to be available funds in Package #4 upon completion of the project; City Staff are working on estimating that amount, but it will not be an absolute as final closeout will still need to occur. OPTIONS: 1. Consider hiring a third party engineering firm to review and audit the Package #4 portion of the Utility Bond Project. 2. Consider tasking City Staff with reviewing and auditing the Package #4 portion of the Utility Bond Project. 3. Do not perform a review and audit of the Package #4 portion of the Utility Bond Project. RECOMMENDATION: The City Manager cannot provide the City Council with a solid recommendation. He has only been with the City since April 2020 while this Package #4 Project has been underway well before December 2015 (including design and initial planning). Having not seen a vast majority of this project done, he has no way to reasonably advise the City Council as to what they should or should not do. From his brief observation and based on his prior construction experience, a third party audit does not seem warranted. But if the City Council has a concern, and if they believe this concern would linger forward, then the only way to reasonably quell that concern would be to seek out a third party engineering firm to review and audit this project.