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disagree that this study needs to be completed, but there is the fundamental issue if they approve this expenditure for work that has been completed but not approved. Councilmember Strommen stated she agrees this goes back to the discussion with the previous case of the billing exceeding the approved amount. One of the directions from that discussion was that a better process is needed. The City needs to clearly communicate to the contractors when there are not-to-exceed amounts, and a better tracking system is needed so the work does not get ahead of the billing. Councilmember Pearson expressed concern with the cost for this study now being almost double the amount that was authorized. Councilmember Strommen noted the scope of the work also doubled. The upside of this is that the City's wetlands are in much better shape than anticipated, and than other communities on average. Mr. Anderson indicated there were also out of scope points included in this work. Parts of Trott Brook did not come in as Preserve or Manage 1, and the EPB recommended that all of Trott Brook be reviewed as it is considered one of the more unique natural areas of the City. This was added to the scope of the work. Also added was a couple of larger wetland complexes that were preliminarily classified as Manage 3 due to the size of them and the sighting of a couple of endangered species. Councilmember Jeffrey stated this is a critical project that needs to move forward, but he would be cautious of approving an additional dollar amount for work that has been completed, and of setting a precedent. He noted the previous discussion where it was determined that the vendor went over the contracted amount and did not come back for approval quick enough. Councilmember Strommen suggested moving forward on this project with a separate motion that a case come back to the Committee to deal with the process of tracking approved consultant amounts in the future. She indicated there is a distinction with this contract as it included a defined scope of the wetlands that would be surveyed. In the situation with the other contractor the service was very nebulous. Motion by Councilmember Strommen, seconded by Councilmember Jeffrey, to recommend that the City Council authorize the transfer of $20,000 from the Landfill Tipping Fee Fund to the General Fund to complete the wetland functions and values study. Further discussion: Councilmember Jeffrey suggested an additional motion that expenditures exceeding the approved amount will no longer be authorized until a case comes before the Finance Committee to discuss the process for approving expenditures that exceed the approved amount and the chain or authorization. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chairperson Strommen, Councilmembers Jeffrey and Pearson. Voting No: None. Absent: Councilmember Elvig. Finance Committee / September 26, 2006 Page 3 of 8