Change In City Practice:

Contracted Engineering Services for the City of Grand Terrace are open for Competitive Bidding. This is a change in business practices of the past. Perhaps after years of citizens complaints to the City Council during the Public Forum has finally moved the City Manager to Open Contracts up to Competitive Bids rather than his selecting his friends and associates for contracted services.

Perhaps the pressures of inquiries and audits by State and Federal Agencies inspired the change. WHO knows, but one thing is evident there was and is a need for the change in operational practices when it comes to contracting for goods and services by the City. It has taken to many years and hours to initiate the welcome change.

In the Past Nolte Engineering was awarded the contracts to function as the City Engineer. In their part time employ was Mr. Koontz who was also on the City Payroll. This arrangement does not and did not seem to be the use of best management practices. The City’s record of losing court cases as a result of the Planning Department/ Planning Commission/ and City Council approving plans that are reversed by the courts may have also contributed to the change in management approach to the Contracting of the City’s Engineering Expertise. Let us hope the contract is awarded to a firm that will protect the City’s Interests and not the Interests of Developers who have some how gotten plans past the old system of checks and balances.