SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Ratify and confirm the City Manager’s approval to provide additional funding in the amount of $107,750 to complete the Missouri Avenue Landscape Median project, to be funded by the transfer of $107,750 from general fund reserves at mid-year.
Body
SUMMARY:
The City Council approved a Fiscal Year 14-15 third quarter budget amendment allocating General Fund reserves in the amount of $190,000 to fund a Capital Improvement Project 315-93322, Missouri Avenue Median Beautification.
On April 7, 2016, the City Council approved two separate Florida Department of Transportation grants in the amount of $100,000 and $99,500 to assist in the development of landscaping medians in the Missouri Avenue corridor from Court Street to Bayview Drive.
On December 15, 2016, the City Council awarded two contracts to Smith Landscape Services, Inc. of Brooksville, Florida, to provide landscape improvements for Missouri Avenue medians from Bayview Drive to Kingsley Street for a cost of $152,454.50 and from Kingsley Street north to Court Street for a cost of $177,309.00.
Smith Landscape Services began excavating material from the medians as called for in the project and soon discovered that road base material was left under all of the medians and not removed when the medians were first installed.
In order for the landscape material to survive, an additional 13 inches of road sub base material must be removed and new soil installed. The cost to do this additional work is $107,750.
In order to stay on schedule and complete the project as soon as possible the City Manager approved providing the additional funds from general fund reserves at mid-year. Staff is working with FDOT in an attempt to secure additional funds for this project to help offset a portion or all of this additional work.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
A mid-year budget amendment will provide a transfer of $107,750 from General Fund reserves to capital improvement project 315-93322, Missouri Avenue Median Beautification, to fund this increase.
USE OF RESERVE FUNDS:
Funding for this contract will be provided by a mid-year budget amendment allocating General Fund reserves in the amount of $107,750 to capital improvement project 93322, Missouri Avenue Median Beautification. Inclusive of this item if approved, a net total of $2,345,031 of General Fund reserves has been appropriated by Council to fund expenditures in the 2016/17 operating budget. The remaining balance in General Fund reserves is approximately $30.9 million, or 23.5% of the current General Fund operating budget.