NORWICH – County board members are debating whether an engineering firm that finished work on two bridges in the Town of Norwich should receive payment that goes over and above the initial amount that the firm budgeted.

The firm did the work hoping the county would later approve it, since the move saved tens of thousands of dollars from the final bill. Essentially the company had to spend an unapproved $15,750 to net roughly $170,000 in savings, explained company spokesmen.

The matter went before the county's finance committee on Thursday, some members defending the engineering firm Barton and Loguidice for their request of an additional $15,750. Barton and Loguidice was contracted by the county for repairs to two bridges last year; one near the intersection of CR-32 and NY-320, and another at the intersection of CR-32 and NY-23.

According to Matthew Schooley, a leading engineer at Barton and Loguidice, the two projects required additional labor not included in the $191,000 estimate the county received in 2017. But due to time restraints, he said work was carried out “on good faith” that the county would pay for those overruns.

The county had been awarded a state grant for the projects back in 2016, though that grant came with a cap. Any amount over the cap became the county's burden.