Perteet gets new contract with Snoqualmie
August 28, 2008
By Ed Farrell
The Snoqualmie City Council Monday granted unanimous approval to a modification of its long-standing contract with Perteet, Inc., that will simplify the engineering firm’s billing format with local developers.
Perteet, and its associate Rahmi Kutsal, had come under fire in recent months by local developers who protested Perteet’s billing practices and charged Kutsal, in particular, with inappropriately charging for unnecessary plan review, inspections and mileage.
Internal audits have determined Perteet’s billings to be reasonable and normal for the industry, and city officials have expressed complete support of the firm.
The new payment schedule eliminates separate billing for cellular telephones, the use of a 4×4 vehicle, and various internal charges, such as copies and faxing.
“We’ve had plenty of discussion regarding this,” said Councilman Bryan Holloway, who heads the council’s Public Works Committee, “And some of those discussions led to these changes in rates.”
Among the highlights in the new schedule, Holloway said, will be that mileage charged will be actual, and not pro-rated, as had been Perteet’s earlier practice.
Perteet’s prior billings, Holloway said, left few answers for “people asking why” they had been billed for areas such as telephones and mileage.
“This goes a long way to clear that up,” Holloway said.
No one from the public spoke on the proposal, which includes a salary increase of $10-an-hour for Kutsal, who will now receive $170-an-hour for his services.
Reach reporter Ed Farrell at efarrell@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434.
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