Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 4 TO THE AGREEMENT WITH CSG CONSULTANTS, INC. TO PROVIDE ON-CALL PLANNING SERVICES (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
This item has been placed on the agenda at the request of Mayor Robles to provide a longer period for Planning Division projects to transition from CSG staff to City staff. CSG currently provides on-call consulting services to the Planning Division.
On December 6, 2016, the City entered into an agreement with the firm CSG Consultants, Inc. (CSG) to provide on-call planning services (Exhibit No. 1). On May 7, 2019, the City Council approved Amendment No. 3 to the CSG Consultants, Inc. (CSG) contract. The approval of the amendment increased the multi-year contract amount by $210,000, from $821,000 to $1,031,000 but shortened the contract expiration from December 5, 2019 to October 31, 2019. The option to renew the agreement for two additional one-year terms, at the City’s discretion, remained as part of the agreement.
The October 31, 2019 deadline was intended to allow enough time to complete the recruitment process for two staff positions. A new Senior Planner is scheduled to start on September 23, 2019. The recruitment for an Associate Planner position has a November target date for the completion. Consistent with the City Council’s direction, arrangements have already been made with CSG to transition all planning development applications to City staff by October 31, 2019; therefore, eliminating all CSG staff.
Most Planning projects can be transitioned in a relatively short time; however, it is desirable to have a longer transition period for some larger and more complicated projects to ensure continuity. Staff recommends a six month extension for this purpose. Amendment No. 4 (Exhibit No. 2) would extend the term of the contract for the first six months of the two optional years, at an amount not-to-exceed $170,000.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE Amendment No. 4 to the agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. for a six-month extension from November 1, 2019 through April 30, 2020 to provide on-call planning services primarily to enable a smooth transition of complex projects at an additional cost of not to exceed $170,000.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the amendment, following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
3. ADOPT Resolution No. 19-157 to amend the FY2019/20 budget in account number 101-70-780-290-6004.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE any other action the City Council deems appropriate and is consistent with the requirements of law.
IV. BACKGROUND
On December 6, 2016, the City entered into an agreement with the firm CSG Consultants, Inc. (CSG) to provide on-call planning services (Exhibit No. 1) to respond to a dramatic increase in Planning Department workload at the time of heavy Planning staff turnover. The three-year agreement allowed for two additional one-year extensions at the City’s discretion. Due to continued growth in development activity within the City, combined with the additional loss of staff, the need for the on-call services provided by CSG increased, resulting in contract amendments in November 2017, February 2019 and in May 2019.
Since the agreement was initiated, the City has experienced an increased demand for planning services, particularly on larger or more complex projects such as Integral, Brandywine, JPI, and other complex development applications, as well as the General Plan Update. The use of CSG has enabled the City to provide responsive and timely services, while simultaneously providing the Division with the flexibility it needs to meet fluctuations in workload on an as-needed basis. We recognize, however, that this contract should not be used in lieu of filling staff positions and have sought, as the City Council has directed, to fill vacant positions.
Under the Permit Streamlining Act, project applicants have certain legal rights to receive timely review of projects, which requires planners to work under statutory deadlines for certain types of projects. Staff is requesting that Council approve Amendment No. 4 to the agreement to allow a smooth transition of projects from CSG to new staff in order to maintain the high level of service provided by the Planning Division and to assure that statutory deadlines continue to be met.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The $170,000 in funds requested for the consultant will increase the not-to-exceed contract amount from $1,031,000 to $1,201,000. Resolution No. 19-157 (Exhibit No. 3) will appropriate funds from the undesignated general fund to account number 101-70-780-290-6004. The costs of the consultant services are assumed by project applicants through the Planning Application Deposit Program. As a result, there is no direct impact to the City’s General Fund.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Contract Services Agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. (pgs. 4-32)
2. Draft Amendment No. 4 to the Contract Services Agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. (pgs. 33-38)
3. Resolution No. 19-157. (pgs. 39-40)
Prepared by: Saied Naaseh, Community Development Director