Scio contractor seeks payment for Main Street project

A discussion at the April 8 Scio Village Council meeting centered on a request from Silverbridge Excavating for payment on waterline work completed along Main Street.

Silverbridge representative Brett Boothe said the company is still owed $129,803.59, despite having already received more than $400,000 for the project.

Boothe told council the work was completed in September and said he could not understand why payment has not been made after nearly eight months.

“It’s been almost eight months, so we need to get paid at some point,” Boothe said. “We’ve made numerous phone calls and sent emails. We’re not a bank.”

Village Administrator Jason Tubaugh said the delay is tied to funding for the project, which was supported by an Environmental Protection Agency grant. He said a government shutdown in October caused a backlog in processing payments.

“When the government shut down, everything got backlogged,” Tubaugh said. “You’re in the pipeline like everybody else.”

Tubaugh said all required paperwork has been completed and that the village is waiting for funds to be released. He added that the payment from the EPA will be sent directly to Silverbridge, not through the village.

Boothe acknowledged the grant funding but said the delay should not affect his company’s payment.

“Our contract says net 30, then we get paid whether you get paid or not,” Boothe said. “That’s on you, not on me.”

Boothe said if payment is not received by 4 p.m. April 15, the company will begin applying late fees and could pursue legal action if the balance is not paid by April 30.

Fiscal Officer Renea Riesen said she had been informed by Thrasher, the project’s engineering firm, that Silverbridge should receive about $52,000 within two to three weeks from the EPA, with the remaining balance to follow pending a change order.

“You are going to get paid,” Riesen said. “There’s no doubt about that. Nobody is withholding money.”

Boothe said he had previously been told similar timelines and expressed frustration with the continued delay, noting his agreement was with the village, not the funding source.