AUBURN - The city will have to wait at least another week before it can begin work on a handling facility to hold sludge from the sewage plant.

The Auburn City Council defeated on Thursday an ordinance asking to borrow $170,000 to build a place to store biosolids while they wait to be hauled away for disposal. However, city officials have indicated that the council will revisit the issue at next week's meeting.

The vote was 2-2, with Councilor Thomas McNabb and Mayor Michael Quill opposed. Gilda Brower was absent.

Four votes are needed to pass a bond ordinance.

During the meeting, McNabb and Quill expressed concerns over changes in the cost of the project and contractor since the council last saw the proposal.

On Oct. 23, the council put off voting on three agenda items related to the facility. Those items included a request to bond $150,000 for the project and a resolution to award a bid of approximately $128,000 to Jordon-based Blue Heron Construction.

Thursday's agenda items asked to borrow $170,000 and award the projects to Blair Construction, of Auburn, for $148,000.

McNabb said he would not vote to fund the project because of all the last-minute changes.

“What the heck even happened to that (first) construction company?” McNabb asked.

“I couldn't see throwing $20,000 down the toilet,” he later said.

Quill said his concerns were whether the city followed the proper procedures to award the bids. If there were changes in the cost and specifications, was everyone bidding on the same project, he asked.

“I think we should have spent some more time (preparing for this),” Quill said. “Winter is nothing new around here.”

Quill was referring to winter because the city has been trying to expedite the project before the cold weather arrives. The handling facility will keep the sludge from freezing in winter temperatures before it is hauled away.

The city used to burn bricks made from the sludge material in the incinerator located at the sewage plant. The incinerator was shut down in recent months after city officials said it would cost too much to fix structural problems and keep it running.

William Lupien, Auburn's chief engineer, explained before and after the vote the reasons for the changes in the proposal. The city has been trying to get this together as quickly as possible, Lupien said, and some of the first bids did not address some important things like metal piping.

The city decided to get a second round of bids so they would be comparing “apples to apples,” he said. When the second proposals came in, there was a new minimum bidder. but the job cost a bit more.

“We need to do something, and we need to do something quickly,” Lupien said.

Councilors continued to discuss the proposal at the end of the meeting, and both Quill and McNabb said no one had explained the reasons for the changes before Thursday. Members of the council and Corporation Counsel John Rossi said that the proposal will be back on next week's agenda.

After the meeting, City Manager Mark Palesh said this brings the city another week closer to cold weather.

“We'll just have to deal with it,” Palesh said.

In other news:

* Though it's early in the fiscal year, the city's general fund has been financially performing as expected, Auburn's chief financial officer said. Comptroller Lisa Green gave a first-quarter fiscal update to the council.

In most cases so far, spending and expenditures are on target within city government, she said. However, there is an issue looming at the state level.

If Gov. David Paterson's deficit plan passes as currently proposed, the city will lose $418,000 of general funding from the state, Green said.

* The council approved two contracts with trash haulers that will use the city landfill. Earthwatch Waste Systems will pay $30 per ton of waste dumped at the landfill, and Dependable Disposal will pay $38 per ton. The rates are based on volume, city officials said.

* The city will spend approximately $56,000 on 12 new fire hydrants.

Fire Chief Mike Hammon said this will be the first round of hydrants that do not need special adapters for the department's hoses.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.