City staff recommends amending Intellus contract for Superstition Vistas engineering review; developers have no objections

City staff on Aug. 5 presented a proposed contract amendment with Intellus to continue engineering review services for the Superstition Vistas development and to update consultant fee rates.

Mike Morris, engineering manager with the city’s development services department, told the council the original Intellus contract began in January 2022 to support a rising workload tied to Superstition Vistas. The city established escrow accounts with the two developers involved—D.R. Horton and Brookfield—to fund the consultant work, Morris said.

Morris explained Intellus requested the amendment for two reasons: the current contract was nearing expiration, and the consultant had not adjusted fees since 2022. The proposed amendment would extend the contract for three years and increase fees using the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Cost Index to align with market rates. Morris said both developers had received the proposed amendment, had no comments, and that staff recommends the amendment to maintain service levels.

Timing and next steps
Morris said the amendment is intended to be placed on a future consent agenda for formal approval at the next city council meeting (noted for Sept. 2) so the city can continue engineering review support for active development.

Ending: City staff recommended the contract amendment to avoid disruption in engineering-review capacity for Superstition Vistas; council had no questions during the brief presentation and staff plans to bring a consent-item ordinance or resolution for council action at a future meeting.