SAM Board Cuts Pipeline Outreach Contract to $40K After Fee Scrutiny
Board of Directors • Sewer Authority Mid-CoastsideSeptember 28, 2026
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The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside board wants residents informed during an 18-month force main replacement along Highway 1. It is not willing to pay premium consulting rates to do it. On Sept. 28, 2026, directors voted 6-0 to authorize a $40,000 public outreach contract, down from the proposed $75,000. They also steered a long-stalled strategic plan toward a January restart.
Outreach contract trimmed to $40,000 from $75,000 after directors challenged a $325 hourly rate and add-on fees
Unanimous 6-0 vote keeps Kastama Strategic Consulting on the force main job, with any spending over $40,000 coming back to the board
Directors ask to see outreach materials; the general manager calls meeting-by-meeting reporting "micromanagement"
Strategic plan restart eyed for January after Tripepi Smith pitches a 10-week, $23,250 process
The basics: In August, SAM hired McGuire and Hester under a progressive design-build contract to replace its force main, the pressurized pipeline that carries sewage to the plant. The board authorized the contract Aug. 10, 2026, and it was signed Aug. 31. Staff has held a kickoff meeting and ordered long-lead pipe.
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