How often do we hear about costs going down! Upon analyzing Bolton & Menk’s (Shorewood’s Consulting Engineer Firm) invoices for the past 5+ years I spotted a significant trend leading to huge engineering cost reductions. Bolton & Menk’s costs began a downward trend about the time SCA ran the article entitled: $7 Million: Shorewood Spends BIG on Engineering Firm Bolton & Menk. Residents were infuriated with these massive payments to an outside engineering firm and expressed their displeasure to both then candidates and council members during the last election.
Bolton & Menk has billed the City of Shorewood an average $1.45 million per year over the last 5 years. In the last 12 months the spending has been reduced to $740,000, a reduction of more than $700,000 largely due to the major road construction projects having been completed. These spending reductions are expected to continue into 2026 with further potential for more as city staff strives to take on additional tasks usually performed by Bolton & Menk.
Public Service Announcement: A popular misconception among residents is that B&M provides engineering services and then also does the construction work. B&M DOES NOT provide construction for the city. This misconception may stem from the fact that we see many B&M trucks frequently moving around the city. These B&M workers are engineers and project managers that conduct inspections during and after projects as well as land surveyors and resident communications coordinators.
Discussions are also under way to explore hiring a staff engineer to offset more of Bolton & Menk’s engineering work and fees. A staff engineer can provide many benefits besides cost savings, as they would provide transparency and accountability to residents, in addition to assisting in planning, coordinating and evaluating programs regarding the city’s infrastructure and equipment to cost-effectively extend its serviceability.
UPDATE ON CITY BUDGET
The 2026 tax levy still shows the city will be requesting a 9%+ tax increase largely due to public safety costs (Fire and Police). See below chart from July’s City Council work session. Final details will be available at the end of September when numbers for the tax levy are due to Hennepin County.
