Waukesha Water Consulting Fees Skyrocketing

The meter is running.

Water ratepayers in Waukesha are forking over large amounts of money to outside contractors for work on various pieces of the city's water issue, but unless you have a scorecard and peruse the minutes of the Water Utility Commission, or the Common Council, you'd have a hard time adding up these recent expenditures (some contracts, by the way, date back four or five years).

From the January 2009 water utility commission minutes:

APPROVE NEW WATER SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS

Duchniak recommended awarding the New Water Supply Development Contracts to Martin Schreiber & Associates (MSA) for a flat monthly fee of $11,130, for a total amount of $133,560, and to GeoSyntec for an hourly, not to exceed amount of $134,460.

Discussion: Two separate contracts. GeoSyntec – not to exceed contract. MSA – fixed price contract. GeoSyntec – Scope of Services–Application, Public Outreach, Conservation Plan. MSA – Scope of Services - Great Lakes efforts – Educating political area/region – Advocate WWU’s position. Budgeted items. History with consultants. Reputation of consultants.

MOTION BY NELSON, SECOND BY ROEKER, TO APPROVE THE NEW WATER SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT WITH MARTIN SCHREIBER & ASSOCIATES FOR A FLAT MONTHLY FEE OF $11,130, FOR A TOTAL OF $133,560; AND WITH GEOSYNTEC FOR AN HOURLY, NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $134,460. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

From the February 2009 water utility commission minutes:

14. APPROVE REINHART BOERNER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT

Duchniak recommended the Professional Services Agreement with Reinhart, Boerner, Van Deuren, S.C. be amended, for a cost not to exceed $15,000.

Discussion: History with Don Gallo. Radium compliance. Stipulated Order and Operation and Monitoring Plan.

From the December 2009 water utility minutes:

APPROVE FUNDING ASSISTANCE AGREEMENT FOR LONG-TERM WATER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

Duchniak recommended approving the 2009 Funding Assistance Agreement with Donald F. Roecker for an amount of $32,500, and with Barbour, Griffith & Rogers for an amount of $63,000.

Discussion: Earmarks. Current & future requests. Excellent interaction between Barbour, Griffith & Rogers and Donald Roecker. Workload increase. Maintained same rates/contract amounts. Two separate contracts. Not to exceed amounts. History with consultants. Results. Allocations received for fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 2007.

MOTION BY ROEKER, SECOND BY NELSON, TO APPROVE THE FEDERAL FUNDING CONTRACT WITH DONALD F. ROECKER FOR AN AMOUNT OF $32,500, AND WITH BARBOUR GRIFFITH & ROGERS FOR AN AMOUNT OF $63,000. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

[blogger note: Roeker works on federal funding, as does the Barbour lobbying firm in Washington, DC - - now BGR.]

From the January 2010 water utility minutes:

6. NEW WATER SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS

Duchniak recommended approving the New Water Supply Development Contracts with CH2M Hill for an hourly, not to exceed, amount of $115,500, and with MSA for a monthly fee of $12,800 for a total of $153,600.

CH@M Hill is the consulting company that replaced GeoSyntec and Cadmus, which had held a similar contracts for several years before the utility changed contractors late in 2009.

From the March 2010 water utility minutes:

7. APPROVE CHANGE ORDER NO. 2 TO CH2M HILL WATER SUPPLY CONTRACT

Duchniak recommended approval of the second Change Order to the CH2M Hill Contract for Great Lakes Compact Application Support for an hourly not to exceed amount of $94,000, for a total contract of $322,000.

Discussion: Incorporation of public comments, preparation of educational material, and public hearings. Study includes all alternative sources. Background of dollars spent. Environmental Report (ER). Competitive rates.

MOTION BY TORTOMASI, SECOND BY NELSON, TO APPROVE SECOND CHANGE ORDER TO CH2M HILL CONTRACT FOR GREAT LAKES COMPACT APPLICATION SUPPORT, FOR A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $94,000, FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT OF $322,000. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

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Also add the approximately $11,000 paid to a Madison attorney, Lawrie Kobza, for work between March and April of this year that will be referenced in the May 2010 minutes, when posted.

And there was the $50,000 paid to the Godfrey & Kahn law firm for earlier Lake Michigan related work:

From the May 2006 water utility minutes:

10. APPROVE CONTRACT AMENDMENT WITH GODFREY & KAHN, S.C.

Duchniak recommended amending the Legal Services Contract with Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., for an amount of $50,000.

Discussion: Additional needs. Timing is critical. Upcoming meetings that Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. need to be involved. Over budget by ~$35,000. Services. Hourly, not to exceed. Possibility of deferred billing in the future.

MOTION BY WARREN, SECOND BY ZINDA, TO APPROVE CONTRACT AMENDMENT WITH GODFREY & KAHN, S.C. FOR AN AMOUNT OF $50,000. MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

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Some earlier contracting history, here.