Change-order authority provides needed flexibility

Sedgwick County Manager William Buchanan won the County Commission’s approval last week to authorize up to $500,000 in construction change orders for the National Center for Aviation Training. Giving such spending power to a public administrator can be risky. But the $54 million center is a high priority for local economic development long term, and its construction during these uncertain times will be served by such flexibility. Buchanan has such authority on the Intrust Bank Arena, too. And frankly, after 18 years on the job, Buchanan has more than earned such trust.

5 Comments

  1. JWink
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 2:51 pm | Permalink

    Did someone slip a decimal point on this proposed change order amount? The amount of $5,000 … not $500,000 … should be the MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF A CONSTRUCTION CHANGE ORDER that could be approved by the county manager.

    Sedgwick County taxpayers pay five county commissioners EACH some $100,000 per year including pay, perks and sumptuous snacks to work every work day. Their responsibility is to oversee things like county expenditures and payroll, construction progress and CHANGE ORDERS, etc.

    I realize holdover county commissioners, Winters, Norton and Unruh, feel their primary responsibility is to establish recreational venues for the prolatariat/sheeple with the taxes paid by the people of Sedgwick County. As though the three old men, Winters, Norton and Unruh have a clue to the recreational interests of Wichita’s citizens.

    Another reason large construction project change orders should not be left to hired county administrator Buchanan is that he could leave at any time and take this institutional thinking on with him. Hopefully, any large scale 1/2 million dollar changes in a county project will be authorized and remembered by the five elected county commissioners in case problems arise in the future.

    So, bottomline, this proposed change would be terrible public policy.

  2. okobserver
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 3:38 pm | Permalink

    Jwink you are right on on this one. The amount is much too large for one man to have the authority to spend indiscriminately.

    You know $500,000 here and another $500,000 there and pretty soon we are talking real money.

    I think our city and county mucky mucks are not living in the real world. I for one will remember this come election day.

  3. bth
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 8:13 pm | Permalink

    Interesting that they are rushing this and other things through BEFORE the new Commission term begins.

  4. TomPaine
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 8:28 pm | Permalink

    your right Jwink why have a County manager at all same goes for the city

  5. TomPaine
    Posted January 4, 2009 at 8:29 pm | Permalink

    cause Peterjohn would say no?