Fresno Council Approves $11.5M Water Infrastructure Contract, $655K Budget Addition
Fresno City Council approved an $11,490,484 construction contract on January 11, 2018, awarding the work to Vido Artukovich & Son, Inc./Vidmar, Inc., a joint venture, for Segments B and C of the Phase 2 Regional Transmission Mains Project. The contract covers water infrastructure work in Council Districts 4, 5, and 7.
Council also passed the 48th Amendment to Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2017-165, appropriating an additional $655,000 to fund the construction contract and staff costs. The Director of Public Utilities was authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the city.
The material identifies the project as part of a five-year water capital plan totaling approximately $429 million, adopted by Council on February 26, 2015, financed through a water utility rate plan. No further project scope, timeline, or breakdown of the $655,000 appropriation is stated in the available material.
The Breakdown
- Contract awarded: $11,490,484 to Vido Artukovich & Son, Inc./Vidmar, Inc. joint venture
- Additional appropriation: $655,000 for contract and staff costs
- Project: Phase 2 Regional Transmission Mains, Segments B & C
- Location: Council Districts 4, 5, and 7
- Vote date: January 11, 2018 — passed by City Council
What This Means for You
This decision commits $655,000 through the appropriation, plus the $11.5 million contract financed through a water utility rate plan Council adopted on February 26, 2015. The material does not state what the transmission mains deliver, who benefits from the infrastructure upgrade, or what share of the broader $429 million capital plan this contract represents.
What to Watch
The material gives a contract total and an appropriation figure, but no breakdown of the $655,000 between contract funding and staff costs, and no detail on what Segments B and C actually do or who they serve.
Vido Artukovich & Son, Inc./Vidmar, Inc. is the direct beneficiary of the $11.5 million contract; the material does not state whether this was the low bid, how many bids were received, or what the next-lowest bid was.
Fresno water ratepayers ultimately fund this through the utility rate plan Council adopted in 2015, but the material does not state how much of the $429 million capital plan has been spent to date.
The staff report excerpt cuts off mid-sentence — what the full text contains, including any cost-benefit analysis, project timeline, or performance metrics for the contractor, is unavailable. A responsible stakeholder would ask: what does this segment deliver in capacity or reliability terms, what was the competitive landscape, and what’s the burn rate on the broader capital plan? The bid file, the full staff report, and the water rate plan documentation would answer those questions.
