For the second time in three weeks, a city official sternly
criticized Hollister’s overuse of paid consultants, citing three
recently approved projects that cost taxpayers about $50,000.
For the second time in three weeks, a city official sternly criticized Hollister’s overuse of paid consultants, citing three recently approved projects that cost taxpayers about $50,000.
Councilman Robert Scattini said the funds could have gone toward more pressing projects such as street repairs or sewers, and that the work could have been done by city employees or volunteers.
“I don’t feel we should waste taxpayers’ money and pay all these consultants,” he said.
The three projects Scattini cited included the Meridian Corridor Traffic Study that cost taxpayers $7,500); a citywide Traffic Calming Study for $17,500; and the redesign of Hollister’s Web site that cost $24,500.
In response to the first round of similar remarks from Scattini at a Council meeting in January, Public Works Director Clint Quilter made a presentation at this week’s meeting. Quilter attempted to justify the use of outside consultants by Hollister’s public agencies.
In his Powerpoint presentation, Quilter said the two main reasons for hiring consultants were “special expertise” and as an “extension of staff.”
He used the example of an ongoing project called the Payment Management Program. Quilter calculated that a total of 2,200 man-hours annually were needed to complete the work. One full-time employee for the city, usually works about 1,750 man-hours each year, he said.
“So just one project would have taken a year and a quarter man-hours,” Quilter said.
Quilter also used the example of the Long-term Wastewater Management Plan, which he said required six full-time workers from an outside firm. If city officials had chosen not to employ the temporary workers, Quilter said the wastewater project would demand the city’s entire engineering staff.
“No talking to people who call up to request stop signs,” he said, “no working on road projects, no working on water projects, no working on anything else.”
The Free Lance requested a list of consultants and the amounts paid to them in 2002. The information could not be compiled before press time.
Scattini said he agreed with using consultants on major infrastructure projects, but disagreed with using outside firms when city employees or volunteers can do the work at a lower cost.
“I’m dead against it,” he said. “I’m elected to do a job. This is big business, and it’s the taxpayers’ money. I vow to do what I can to correct some of these problems.”
For the Web site redesign, Scattini suggested the city should have contacted local high schools and colleges to complete the work.
“Several agencies could have done a professional job,” he said. “And it wouldn’t have taken 12 to 16 weeks.”
For the Meridian Corridor Traffic Study, Scattini, who is also the county marshal, said the Hollister Police Department could have done the work.
“I don’t need somebody to tell me I need to put a stop sign out there, especially when (the consultants) are not even from Hollister,” Scattini said.
Quilter said the costs of outside consultants are often included in the funding sources, which sometimes include grants. And mainly, he said, the use of outside consultants “frees up city staff” to do other projects.
