Fiscal Note
No fiscal impact is anticipated with the adoption of this proposed ordinance modification.
Title
SUBSTITUTE Amending Sec. 33.07(6) to add additional types of public construction that may be done by the City without submitting the work for public bid.
(**Creation of Sections 33.07(6)(a)3. through 5. requires 15 votes of the Council.)
Body
DRAFTER'S ANALYSIS: Wis. Stat. § 62.15(1) allows the Common Council, by a vote of ¾ of all its members, to exempt certain types of public construction from the public bidding requirements (otherwise applicable to all public construction over $25,000) and allow this work to be performed directly by the City. The City has exercised this option for two types of work: golf course irrigation and bus shelter installations. This ordinance would add additional classes of public construction to this list: public water supply system improvements, public stormwater system projects, work where the project is put out for bid but does not receive any bids, the installation of solar panels as part of the City’s solar job training program, and the installation of traffic signals and pedestrian crosswalk enhancements. The City would not be able to exercise this option where the cost of labor is estimated to exceed $125,000, as indexed annually.
Regarding the exemption for public water supply system improvements, the Water Utility has found that on occasion, it is necessary to perform small projects on the system to make it more functional, such as add a pressure reducing station, or install a short section of main to connect two hydraulically distinct areas. This work can be performed by Utility staff during the summertime when the Utility has more workforce availability. The Utility also believes that it will be able to perform these types of smaller projects more quickly and cost efficiently for its customers.
Similarly, the City Engineer has found that its workforce is capable of performing certain public stormwater system ...
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