Caution: Consultants Ahead

There are other ways public works end-runs the Council, such as transferring items from one contract to another so the first doesn't overrun by more than 5 percent. While the Press interviewed Nandagiri, a representative of the consulting firm Turner Collie & Braden stopped by and asked for approval to do just that on a sludge basin contract. If Barnes and Schindewolf approve the move, Nandagiri says, it'll happen. "We don't normally do it" unless there's an emergency, he says. "It used to happen more frequently."

The Ridgecrest case may be atypical, but even after the fact, no one seems to agree on what happened. And no one will stop the buck. Conrad believes the original design was faulty, and he's critical of city employees for their inability to follow through. The design consultant blames Conrad, though his argument seems weak. In a written review of the project, the program consultants fingered the design consultant while generally absolving themselves. Buddy Barnes believes that the program consultants are the most culpable, even though others had their moments. "There was mixed responsibility at one time," Barnes says, "but basically they have the responsibility."

Public works officials acknowledge that accountability has been a problem, that money has been wasted, that rules have been broken. But they say that most of those problems have been dealt with or can be traced to incompetent employees who have since left the agency, and that the current regime places quality at the top of its priority list.

"I'm sure it's as good as it's ever been, if not better," says Barnes.