Ann Arbor Postpones Water Main Study

At the May 31, 2011 session of its meeting that had begun two weeks before, on May 16, the Ann Arbor city council again postponed a $208,984 contract with AECOM for a study of its water distribution system. The issue will be taken up at the council’s July 5 meeting.

The money for the study, which dates from a 2007 request for proposals (RFP), was allocated in the fiscal year 2011 budget of the city’s water fund. The level of service (LOS) study to be done by AECOM would recommend a sustainable level of service for the city’s water distribution system, and determine how much investment it would take to achieve that level. The study would also help the city decide, for example, which water mains should be replaced first.

Before tabling the item on May 16, the council had amended out a $10,550 contingency. The item had been tabled for essentially two reasons. First, councilmembers expressed concern about the general issue of using consultants to communicate with residents, instead of relying on city staff. Second, councilmembers had concerns about the cost of the study, and they were inclined to delay action on all budget-related issues, given their plan to delay action on the FY 2012 budget, which was achieved through a recess of the meeting until Monday, May 23. The city council then briefly convened a continuation on May 23, recessing until May 31, when the additional postponement of the water main study took place.

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]