Engineering decision still open

Date:  3/3/2010

Website:  http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/news_display/142029487.html

News Details

By Nick McLain, Zionsville Times Sentinel, Ind.

Mar. 3--The decision on whether HNTB or Beam, Longest & Neff will be the town's primary engineering contractor for 2010 was continued to April 5 at the regular Zionsville Town Council meeting Monday, March 1.

HNTB has been the town's engineering services provider since 1983, but council members Michelle Barrett, Tim Haak, Judith Essex and Candace Ulmer advocated a switch to BLN, citing the need to give local firms an opportunity and to get a fresh perspective.

"I don't think anything HNTB did is wrong, but when you have the same engineering firm for over 25 years, you might not have that same innovation," Ulmer said. "Twenty-five years can be a good thing, but it can also lead to complacency."

Council president Matt Price again recused himself from discussion or voting on the matter, as his law firm, Bingham McHale, as represented BLN in the past.

Council members Valerie Swack and Art Harris objected to voting on the matter after talking with town staff. Their impressions were that such a move could cost the town anywhere from $75,000 to $100,000 to get the intellectual property that HNTB has in their possession from 27 years of serving the town. This amount would include the cost of BLN having to create a wastewater program that measures how taxed the wastewater plant is, something HNTB would not give over to a competitor.

In addition, Bob Holden of HNTB, was at the meeting, and both he and Town Manager Ed Mitro said that if the town changed to BLN, HNTB's involvement with several current projects would cease, including this year's coming sewer rehabilitation and street resurfacing projects. Holden said those contracts would have to be re-negotiated if HNTB were to continue to provide their service on those projects.

Essex voted to table the motion, so that they could speak with HNTB about specific contracts and projects involved if a switch were made. The motion was carried.

Council Divided on Annual Report Vote

The council voted 5-2 to approve entering into a contractual agreement with Bodkin Associates to produce the Town of Zionsville's Annual Report. It will cost the town $19,150, and will require an additional appropriation from the general fund. Harris and Swack voted against the measure.

Swack questioned whether more money could be saved by putting the report on the town's Web site.

"In this down economy, $19,150 seems like an excessive amount to spend on a luxury that could be done digitally," she said.

Price said that in his conversations with the public, the overwhelming majority preferred having a hard copy of the annual report mailed to them as opposed to having it digitally. Putting it online would be tantamount to it not reaching some people at all, he said.

Harris and Swack also objected to spending the money on an item that was not specifically budgeted. An additional appropriation from the general fund will be needed to fund the project, and a public hearing on the expenditure will likely be at the April meeting.

Price added that the town received more than $600,000 in cash infusion from the townships in consolidation, and that money went into the general fund. Reallocating that money through re-appropriations when program costs come up gives the town additional flexibility.

"We're going to have to make some decisions as we go and as we have more information," Price said. "We knew that we had the resources to do this. To suggest that after a year's worth of planning through the budget process, that somehow we are doing this willy-nilly, it's very disingenuous and frankly irresponsible to be make that suggestion to the public."