HI-DESERT WATER INCREASES THREE CONTRACTS

When the Hi-Desert Water District asked the sewer project’s engineers to eliminate the grinder pumps for 79 property owners, the engineers had to reconfigure the collection system, and that new design led to the water district needing easements—and appraisals—from an additional 117 properties. The appraiser also had to go back and re-appraise several properties in which the easements changed due to the change in the sewer’s design. Managing editor Tami Roleff says the water district’s directors were faced with increased costs for three separate contracts…
Appraiser Barbara Torres submitted an amendment to her contract for an additional $211,500, for a total of $354,000. And the new easements also required title reports, for a total cost of $51,745. The directors were also presented with a $30,900 increase in the contract for the engineer’s report due to changes in property tax rolls and other items. Sarann Graham and the other directors were not happy about the additional costs. “It seems to me that there’s a number of things that keep popping up. And they’re little things, but little things keep adding up…. It’s a lot of money here.” The directors realized, though, that they had little choice but to authorize the increases, which they did unanimously.