HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-05-07 Finance Committee Minutes
FINANCE COMMITTEE
May 7, 2007
Minutes
Councilors: Stone, Hawes, D’Errico, Gratwick, Farrington
Staff: Hamer, Cyr, Barrett, Ring, Jellison, Dawes, Little
1. Consent Agenda
A motion was made and seconded to approve passage of the Consent Agenda by a 5-0.
a. Quitclaim Deed – Cochran – 323 Essex Street
b. Quitclaim Deed – Fritz – 438 Finson Road
c. Quitclaim Deed – State Wide Floor Wax – 33 Cumberland St
d. Workout Agreement – Shalhoob – 28 William Street
e. Update on Used Vehicle Purchase
2. Bids/Purchasing
a. Concrete and Steel Repairs – WWTP – Copia Specialty Contractors - $25,888
Cyr said staff has identified seven repairs needed at the Treatment Plant recognizing a
limited budget and that some are expensive projects. Items 1, 2 and 5 only are
recommended to be awarded to Copia, the lower bidder. The projects involve the
hypochlorite secondary containment, bisulfite secondary containment and exterior tank
walls-upper horizontal surface cracks. The bid document specified that the bid could be
awarded in part or in whole. Ring said that in specialty work there are sometimes instances
that certain elements of the work are more in the expertise of certain bidders. By reserving
the right to divide the project, the City can secure better pricing. Responding to Gratwick,
Cyr said that to date no treatment plant project has been funded from the General Fund. It
is always funded through the Plant’s operational budget. Responding to Farrington, Jellison
said the remaining projects need to be completed in approximately three-four years. The
work is part of the Plant’s regular maintenance program. A motion was made and seconded
to approve staff’s recommendation by a 5-0 vote.
b. Request for Qualifications - Engineering Services – City Wide
Cyr said the City’s practice has been to maintain an open-ended contract with three local
engineering firms. During the year, there are a number of projects (renovations of
structures, mechanical or electrical systems) without in-house engineering staff capacity.
The current contracts expired this spring. RFP’s were requested. A committee comprised of
appropriate City staff reviewed the responses and recommended the City enter into open-
ended contracts with Ames A/E, Carpenter Associates and James W. Sewell Company for
projects of less than $500,000. Cyr noted that as the CSO project winds down that it will
free up some time of Engineering Department staff so the amount of outside services would
decrease. Larger projects are bid out for engineering services. Stone and Cyr talked about
a reserve and proforma. D’Errico talked about FAA projects requiring a third party review.
Cyr said this item does not include airport projects. Barrett said that Edwards and Kelcey
does the airport project reviews and Dick Cattelle is the third party. Barrett said staff would
check to see if the airport qualifies for the subject engineering services contract. Cyr also
pointed out that specialty type projects, such as environmental areas, have different
engineering service contracts and they are bid separately. Responding to Farrington, Cyr
said the services are on-call and the services are paid for as performed. Responding to
Stone, Barrett said he has spoken to the Fire Chief regarding design/build for the fire station
6. Responding to Gratwick, Barrett said station 6 was evaluated sometime ago. There have
been consistent water infiltration problems since the day the building was opened. Gratwick
asked if engineering data is available. Cyr said yes but did not know to what extent.
Gratwick asked that the data be made available when the time comes to make the
replacement decision. Ring talked about station six and his review. The basic problem with
the structure is that it was built with shortcuts in construction due to the timeframe and
need. The types of issues at the station are not easily fixable. A motion was made and
seconded to approve staff recommendation by a 5-0.
3. Ordinance, Amending the Code of Ethics to Expand the Definition of Family
Hamer indicated that the Ethics Board recently met and discussed the definition of
immediate family. This is in the context of when a Councilor/Board/Committee member
needs to excuse himself/herself from a discussion of an item. The current definition
includes the person’s spouse, children, parents, brothers/sisters living in the household.
The Board discussed the narrowness of the definition and recommended that definition be
expended to include children, parents, siblings, including step and half relations, regardless
of whether they reside in the household, and domestic partners. The reporting requirements
would remain as current. The ‘must live in the house’ restriction is being removed. The
proposed definition reads: spouse, children, parents, siblings, including half, step and in-law
relations and domestic partners. Farrington spoke of his daughter and son-in-law’s business
and the fact that he has excused himself from previous council/committee discussions.
Barrett said this is an area wherein the Council has not been consistent. The proposed
amendment clarifies this type of situation. Hamer clarified that this applies to Council,
boards, commissions and school committee. Hamer said, responding to Farrington, that the
Council votes on whether there is a conflict, which is based on the Ordinance. Farrington
stated that if the Council does not have authority that it should be clearly spelled out.
Barrett and Farrington discussed instances of financial interest or special interest. There is
leeway when a special interest exists and that is when the Council could make a judgment.
Responding to Gratwick, Hamer said that the term domestic partner includes people who
are living together without being married but with marriage-like characteristics, both same
and opposite sex. A motion was made and seconded to recommend approval to full Council
for its action.
4. Executive Session – Hardship Abatement 36 MRSA Section 841 (2)
A motion was made and seconded to go into executive session.
5. Open Session – Hardship Abatement Decision
A motion was made and seconded to approve the hardship abatement by a 5-0 vote.