The budget is blown on the city of Bend’s sewer treatment expansion. The deadlines have passed. Bend residents deserve a report on what went wrong and how the city is going to avoid a repeat.

The Bend City Council got an update recently on the expansion. The expansion is necessary. It will double the city’s capacity to handle the growth.

But the project‘s status is alarming. It’s supposed be done. It’s not.

The project has missed all its milestones. It’s a year behind schedule.

And then there’s the money: It’s $3 million over the original construction budget cost of $32 million.

The city has provided some information about what went wrong. Jeff England, an engineer for the city, has criticized Kennewick, Washington-based Apollo Inc., which was awarded the construction contract.

“Contractor’s lack of adequate planning for the work and poor quality of workmanship. Extensive rework, reinspection, and retesting has been necessary. There have been a total of 88 notices of deficient work issued thus far,” says a staff report provided to the City Council.

What could the city have done? What can the city do to catch the problems before things get out of hand?

England has also told the council that staff will do everything it can “legally and ethically” to recover some of the additional costs. OK, what is being done?

When the Bend City Council discussed the project recently, there were no such questions. Councilors asked when it would be finished and then approved another $841,591 in spending.

Back in August, Councilor Barb Campbell summed up the project status: “It’s not good, no matter what happens.”

She’s right, but Bend residents deserve a formal analysis of how the city might avoid blowing deadlines and millions in the future.