A $260,000 overrun in expenditures for computer equipment in the City-County Building now under renovation could take a sizable chunk out of the project's contingency budget, a Salt Lake official said Tuesday.
The city budgeted $185,000 to install 185 computer stations at the building, but the city's Information Management Service later increased the number of stations to 310, at a cost of $534,000, said project manager Larry Migliaccio.After ferreting out $100,000 in interest costs and other anticipated overruns, Migliaccio said the cost could be cut to $454,000, a difference of $260,000 between the station's original and actual costs.
"That takes us down to a contingency of around $550,000," Migliaccio said, referring to the impact the overrun would have on the project's current $800,000 contingency fund.
"I don't consider this an overrun," Mayor Palmer DePaulis said, pointing out that the additional computer stations will give the city "flexibility" for accommodating computer services in the future.
"It's just that I'm a little nervous over a big chunk of money like this," he said.
Before responding to Migliaccio options to pay the overrun or scuttle the additional stations, DePaulis said the city should study the feasibility of the extra 125 computers.
"I don't think there's been any real review done on the Information Management System's scheme," Migliaccio said.
Renovation of the City-County Building, which will house most city offices and some Salt Lake County offices, is expected to be finished next April. Migliaccio said he would like to finish the project with a $500,000 contingency left over.