It was a brief meeting, but it included something that doesn't happen at every session. A board member stopped a six-figure contract before it could pass.

When a roughly $165,000 agreement with the engineering firm Barton & Loguidice came up, Treasurer Brian Adams moved to table it, telling his colleagues he wanted to take a closer look at the funding source first. The board agreed and set the item aside. Tabling doesn't kill a contract but it's a visible sign of a board member applying scrutiny to how the city plans to pay for something before signing on. It's also worth noting this is the same firm the board hired under a smaller agreement just last month, which makes the purpose of this larger contract worth following.

The board did move forward on two agreements with Oneida County. Under these shared services deals, Rome's public works crews will handle roadside mowing and roadside ditching along county roads. Arrangements like these generally have the county reimburse the city for the work, and they're the reason residents may spot city trucks maintaining roadsides outside the city's own streets.

The board also approved an agreement with the accounting firm D'Arcangelo & Co. The resolution drew no discussion and no dollar amount was stated aloud, but the firm is the kind an outside accountant or auditor a city typically retains for its financial work.