The amendment adds $1.41 million
Kern County approved a $500,000 agreement with Mead & Hunt on July 14 for a new Meadows Field Airport master plan. The amendment presented October 27 raises the maximum by $1,410,436, producing a $1,910,436 total.
That is a 282.1% increase over the starting authorization, and the amended total is 3.82 times the original. The timing matters: the public baseline changed within roughly three and a half months, before the full plan had been delivered.
| Measure | Amount |
|---|---|
| Original agreement | $500,000 |
| Amendment | +$1,410,436 |
| New maximum | $1,910,436 |
| Increase from original | 282.1% |
Thirteen tasks now define the work
The amended scope divides the project into 13 tasks, including forecasts, facility requirements, alternatives, environmental review, financial planning and public involvement. The schedule anticipates about 18 months from notice to proceed.
The fee is a lump sum covering labor, materials and expenses. That structure gives the county a ceiling, but it also makes the negotiated task list the key document for judging whether the added $1.41 million buys work that was missing from the July baseline.
A fuller scope is not the same as a cost overrun
The record describes an amendment after detailed scope and fee negotiations, not construction work that exceeded a completed design. Calling the entire increase an overrun would therefore be inaccurate.
The accountability finding is narrower: the initial public authorization did not reflect the eventual 13-task price. Future reporting should compare deliverables, invoicing and the final schedule to the amended scope rather than to the $500,000 shell alone.
Method and limits
What’s the Scoop With Broach compared the July base amount with the October amendment, recomputed the percentage change and reviewed the task and schedule language in the posted agreement. No interview or engineering judgment is represented.
The packet does not provide competing fee proposals, hours by task or completed deliverables. It supports a finding about the size and timing of the scope reset, not a conclusion that the professional fee is excessive.
Sources and further reading
Kern Board agenda, October 27, 2026 ↗
Meadows Field master-plan amendment and scope ↗
USGS Meadows Field aerial photograph and public-domain record ↗