If you were 67% off on estimating the costs of something over $1M- wouldn’t you be fired? Or at least be tripping over yourself to explain what happened?
Monday July 8 Board of Estimates Agenda Item 12. Booster Pump Station 106 Reconstruct. Award Contract to Staab Construction Corp. $2,317,000 ($2,500,000 +\-) Bids came in 67.4% higher than expected. Amount budgeted: $1,493,000. Amount needed: $2,500,000. So City must approve + $1,007,000 over budgeted amount. $800,000 would be taken from East Side well projects 7, 8 and 9 + $207,000 would come from additional borrowing.
I guess that is one way to get a project approved, by appearing to cost substantially less, then say “oops, we still need to do it” and then they get the money they need for it.
Could you imagine anyone else being this far off? Why can’t non-profits come back in and say “oops, this is how much it actually cost to provide the services you contracted for”?
No explanation as to why in the fiscal note, perhaps there will be one at Board of Estimates this evening?
