08-08-2011 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, August 8, 2011 7:00 o'clock p.m. (12. ENGINEERING SERVICES, Continued) Printup asked if the list of firms obtained from the City Engineers Association of Minnesota is Minnesota firms or regional firms. Loftus stated to her knowledge a number of the smaller ones are located in Minnesota but that she is not personally familiar with all of them. Printup asked if the list can be broken down detailing where each firm is located. Loftus stated she can obtain that information. Printup asked about the sale of Bonestroo to a national engineering firm and added that he has a concem that Orono will go from being an important component of their business to a smaller component. Loftus stated to her understanding the merger has not gone through yet at this time. Kellogg stated as long as Bonestroo works for the City of Orono, the City Council will see the same faces. Kellogg indicated the merger will allow them to have more depth to draw from on various projects. McMillan asked if they would still be comparing apples to apples if they send the RFP to some of the smaller firms and whether that would come out of the same template. Mattick stated it would depend on what the Council asks for and noted that some engineering firms are very specialized and would not be able to provide all the services the City is looking for from an engineering firm. Mattick stated it would also depend on the job description for the public works director /city engineer position. Franchot stated it is probably common to have the firm provide a certification that they can provide all of the services being requested. Mattick indicated that is part of the process. Printup commented since the RFP process has not been done in quite some time, the Council is giving the citizens the transparency that the City is doing whatever it can to keep costs in line. Franchot stated he would disagree that it was transparent in the way it was dropped on Staff unexpectedly and that it was anything but transparent. Franchot stated from the comments of the Mayor and Council Member Printup it was clear that this was already decided. Franchot noted Council Member Rahn had also been called by Council Member Printup before he brought it up at the Council meeting. Franchot commented it would be helpful if someone on the council has an idea that they discuss it with the whole group. Printup noted that is what the Council is doing right now. Franchot stated that Council Member Printup at the last meeting had motioned immediately to have the issue go through a resolution. • Page 18 of 21