Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER APPROVAL OF AMENDMENT NO. 6 TO THE AGREEMENT WITH CSG CONSULTANTS, INC. TO PROVIDE ON-CALL PLANNING SERVICES (CITY COUNCIL)
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I. SUMMARY
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). The contract was amended a number of times and on April 21, 2020, the City Council approved Amendment No. 5 to the CSG contract. The amendment increased the multi-year contract amount by $675,000, from $1,210,000 to $1,876,000, and extended the expiration from April 30, 2020 to April 30, 2022.
The April 30, 2022 deadline was intended to allow enough time to complete the recruitment process for various planner positions and stabilize staffing in the Planning Division. Although these positions were filled, the same staff members have since moved on to professional opportunities in other agencies. The new recruitment for these positions is underway and staff anticipates filling them by the end of Summer of 2022.
It is desirable to be fully staffed while recruitment is ongoing to ensure that residents and the development community are being serviced in a timely manner, especially since development applications are subject to statutory timetables under State law. Amendment No. 6 (Exhibit No. 2) would extend the term of the contract for three years, bringing the total contract amount to a not-to-exceed amount of $3,934,400. Staff recognizes that this contract should not be used in lieu of filling staff positions and has sought to fill the vacant positions, as directed by the City Council. Having on-call services will assist the City to withstand fluctuations in workload and staffing levels.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
1. APPROVE Amendment No. 6 to the agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. for a three-year extension from June 30, 2022 through June 30, 2025 to provide on-call planning services in the amount of $2,058,000, bringing the total cost of the contract to a not-to-exceed amount of $3,934,400.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the amendment, following approval as to form by the City Attorney.
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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 Division workload at the time of heavy 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, May 2019, September 2019, and April 21, 2020.
Since the agreement was initiated, the City has experienced an increased demand for planning services, particularly on larger or more complex projects such as the major mixed use projects on Avalon and other complex development applications in addition to 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.
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. 6 to the agreement to allow projects to continue moving forward in a timely manner and 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 contract amendment increases the not-to-exceed amount from $1,876,000 to $3,934,400. It will allow $124,000 for on-call planners to be utilized for the remainder of the current fiscal year and $1,934,400 for on-call planners to be utilized over the next three years, through June 30, 2025 if needed.
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. 6 to the Contract Services Agreement with CSG Consultants, Inc. (pgs. 33-39)
Prepared by: Saied Naaseh, Community Development Director