City Council Clashes Over Paving Failures
A stalled Pacific Avenue paving project sparks a fiery city council debate over contractor accountability and city ordinance violations.
Councilman Duevel brought the Pacific Avenue paving matter to the council, asking when the work would be completed. Despite the contract being let, only 50 feet of pavement had been laid. Commissioner Welsh explained that under the contract terms, the city was helpless to force the issue, noting the demurrage penalty was only $10 a day—a figure the contractor could easily absorb by waiting for cheaper material prices. The council expressed strong frustration at the apparent deliberate delay and instructed the city attorney to take immediate action. Separately, the council rescinded a previous illegal vote to provide free city water for sprinkling the Yakima Avenue speedway.
“The demurrage is only $10 a day, and that is the greatest mistake ever made.”
Tacoma’s 1904 struggle with infrastructure contracts and the limitations of municipal oversight echoes modern debates about public-private partnerships, where bureaucratic red tape often creates loopholes that favor private contractors over public interest.
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