Das Opinion Sought On Consultant Payment
May 18th, 2008 | By admin | Category: OpinionThe Ascension Parish Council’s Utilities Committee voted 3-1 Tuesday to recommend not paying consulting firm URS Corp. $54,100 for inspection work on the Hillaryville wastewater project.
The decision marks the second time in as many months that the committee voted not to pay URS Corp. for the services. The full council voted earlier this month not to pay URS Corp. and sent the issue back to the committee for further discussion.
However, Parish President Tommy Martinez said Wednesday that he is seeking an opinion from the District Attorney’s office on the matter.
*
Disagreement arose between members of the council and administration as to whether URS Corp. should be paid for the work, which was performed under a task order at a time when the company did not have a master contract with parish government.
Committee members said that while the quality of the work URS conducted was favorable, parish ordinances do not allow a contract to receive payment for work unless they have a master contract in place.
Mike Patorno with URS Corp. told the committee that he felt the issue was “simply a matter of paperwork’?ù and asked that the committtee ratify a vote of the council in December to conduct the services, which expired prior to the work being conducted.
Martinez said that he did not want to violate parish ordinances that do not allow payment for projects conducted without a master contract in place.
Councilman Oliver Joseph agreed, citing that the committee and full council both voted recently to not pay URS. He then made a motion not to pay the company, seconded by Councilman Dennis Cullen.
Counciman Kent Schexnaydre later offered a substitute motion to defer on the matter until a legal opinion could be rendered by the parish’s legal counsel. The motion died from a lack of second. Joseph’s motion then passed, with Schexnaydre casting the lone dissension.
In other news, Martinez told the commitee that he has received numerous calls from firms interested in assisting the parish in installing a comprehensive wastewater treatment facility. He said all but one of the proposals calls for public funding and that he is currently reviewing budget items in an effort to find additional funds.l
“We need to continue looking at options,’?ù Martinez said. “Maybe by the end of the year, you’ll have enough to look at so you can make a decision based on the facts.’?ù
Martinez also said that the council should review an agreement it made in 1999 with a firm to construct a plan for such a facility to see if they are still legally bound by the agreement.
Tags: ascension parish, budget, commitee, committee members, consulting firm, councilman, dis, disagreement, dissension, district attorney, fir, government committee, ins, legal counsel, legal opinion, master contract, paperwork, parish government, parish president, second time, substitute motion, ubs, utilities committee, vic, wastewater project