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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, August 8, 2011 <br />7:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br /> Page 17 of 21 <br /> <br />12. ENGINEERING SERVICES <br /> <br />Loftus noted at the last City Council meeting she was directed to compile some information that was <br />assembled back in 2008 with regard to an engineering request for proposals. Typically the RFP process is <br />a two to three month process. <br /> <br />Loftus noted she had asked Council to consider some of Staff’s concerns that were outlined in an e-mail <br />message to Council and that she is asking Council for direction as to how they would like to proceed. <br /> <br />Franchot stated it was his understanding from the last meeting that they had discussed going from an RFP <br />to an RFI and that this seems to be a full request for an RFP. Franchot asked whether the Council is <br />looking for a full blown proposal or a check on the rates that the City is being charged. Franchot noted <br />very little of what the City does is on a project basis and that it is mostly an hourly charge that the City <br />pays. <br /> <br />Kellogg indicated the majority of the work is completed on an hourly basis but that some of the charges <br />are passed on to the applicant. <br /> <br />Franchot commented it would be helpful for him to understand exactly what the Council is requesting. <br /> <br />Rahn stated in his view it would be a helpful discussion to have at the Council's next work session and to <br />have the discussion coincide with the public works director/city engineer position that the Council is <br />considering creating. Rahn stated his understanding was that it would be an RFP, but that the City needs <br />to coordinate it along with a job description for a city engineer/public works director and that those two <br />processes should move forward in the same time period. <br /> <br />Printup indicated he is in favor of the RFP process. <br /> <br />McMillan stated she is also interested in services in addition to rates and that an RFP is the best method to <br />ask for that information. <br /> <br />Franchot stated both methods could obtain that information. <br /> <br />Rahn stated Staff could do some fact finding and bring to the Council at their work session what work <br />they think the public works director/engineer would provide because in his opinion that job description <br />would go hand-in-hand with the RFP proposal. <br /> <br />Printup commented he would like to see less advising work from Bonestroo and to have that done more <br />in-house. <br /> <br />Franchot stated that would appear to be a budgeting issue. Franchot indicated he was trying to understand <br />the direction the Council wanted to pursue since this was an issue that was raised rather unexpectedly at <br />the last Council meeting. <br /> <br />Rahn stated he would be interested in knowing how many cities have in-house engineers. Rahn stated he <br />is aware that a number of cities the size of Orono contract every project and have an in-house city <br />engineer. <br /> <br />Item #03 - CC Agenda - 08/22/2011 <br />Approved Council Meeting Minutes 08/08/2011 <br />[Page 17 of 21]