Paducah Kentucky Struggles with Army Bureaucracy

(MoneyWatch)  The City of Paducah, KY needs to award a contract to repair flood walls on the Ohio River. Some of this work is done in partnership with the US Department of the Army. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for managing the system of flood control on the river. As The Lexington News reports the city has negotiated a bid to do the work that actually came in below the estimated amount. Unfortunately without a determination by the Army that the cost share can go forward the City may have to pay the whole cost themselves. The contract bid expires on 28 November leaving little time for the Army to act. Normally when the Executive Branch is in transition to another Administration there may be some hesitancy to act by the current officials. Often because they do not necessarily want to make a decision that may go against what the new one wants to do. This is why the Defense Department has hesitated on certain contract awards, like the KC-X tanker and ARH.

Updated to put Paducah on the right river.