Council asks for TSI report, delays telemetry master‑plan contract amid legal concerns

Public Works and legal staff told the council July 16 that the proposed telemetry master‑plan contract raises liability questions and overlaps with ongoing litigation, prompting council members to pause action and request additional technical material.

Councilmember Moore said the item involved legal exposure and asked for the city attorney’s guidance. The city attorney recommended executive‑session review under the state Open Public Meetings Act citation given in the meeting (RCW 42 31 10 I) because parts of the topic relate to pending or potential litigation. Council agreed to take the matter up in executive session briefly and later to provide each councilmember a copy of the TSI report from the vendor for further review.

Councilmember Sprowl pressed the vendor’s proposed scope and cost, saying the parametric firm that has maintained the city system for nearly 20 years should have presented a different approach rather than billing about $266,000 for the study. He asked why the proposal included “principal in charge charging 8 hours of site visits” when city staff and the vendor have longstanding familiarity with the system.

Council direction: staff will distribute the TSI report related to the scope of work to all councilmembers, and the council agreed to treat the telemetry master‑plan item as a standalone agenda item at the July 30 meeting for fuller public and council review.

Why this matters: The telemetry system controls monitoring and alerts for utilities; the contract’s cost and any legal entanglements could affect both operations and the city’s exposure in litigation.

What’s next: Staff will share the TSI report before the next council meeting and the item will be reconsidered at the July 30 meeting as a standalone agenda item.