Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALL — The City Council will be asked to make good on its end of a regional water quality effort at its meeting Tuesday night, the cost of which has doubled in the last five years.
City Hall will contribute $4 million to pay for runoff management projects and strategies to help protect the Santa Monica Bay from bacteria that flows into the water after every rain.
The Santa Monica Bay Beaches Wet Weather Bacterial Total Maximum Daily Load, established by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, constitutes an $86 million investment on the part of Santa Monica, the city of Los Angeles and other agencies.
That’s up from the $30 million estimated at the beginning of the process, and Santa Monica’s share of the cost has doubled from $2 million to $4 million since the cost was re-evaluated in 2007. An analysis of the project found that a larger drainage area was needed to comply with regional water quality standards.
City Hall has $1 million on hand to contribute to the project. The remaining $3 million will be borrowed from the Wastewater Fund at 4 percent interest over the next 20 years, according to a city staff report.
The payment constitutes the bulk of the $6,921,653 requested on the consent agenda.
Price of gas
The City Council is expected to sign off on a five-year contract to pay for gasoline for buses, emergency vehicles and other staff-related vehicles on Tuesday night.
The contract with IPC, Inc. covers five years and two months for a total cost of $4,320,334, just over $1 million of which is available in the current fiscal year.
Staff selected IPC, Inc. out of a pool of five bidders. The company offered the lowest cost and came with positive feedback, according to a staff report.
The purchase constitutes a change in past policy because emergency response vehicles have used premium gasoline in the past. The new contract with IPC, Inc. only covers regular gasoline.
BBB services
City officials are asking the council to sign off on three contracts totaling $1,036,921 covering detailing services and replacement parts for city buses and extra security for the Big Blue Bus campus.
The first is a three-year contract with Uniserve Facilities Service, Inc., a California-based company, for cleaning services for the Big Blue Bus system.
City Hall has $292,000 set aside for the first two years of the contract. The remaining money will have to be approved at a future date.
The second is a $300,000 contract for replacement parts for the diesel transit buses.
Staff selected Ironman Inc., a California-based company, to provide “particulate traps” for the buses. The components remove soot and other materials from engine exhaust.
The total contract is for $450,000, but only $300,000 is requested for approval on Tuesday night.
The last matter is a $126,500 addition to a security contract with ABM Security Inc. to pay for extra security needed at a fuel station near the Fifth Street exit off Interstate 10.
Scrub a dub
Council is likely to approve a $480,000 contract to purchase eco-friendly cleaning chemicals from California-based Hillyard, Inc.
Hillyard, Inc.’s products were recommended by in-house and contract custodial staff because they performed better than the products of two other competitors for the contract.
Hillyard’s products have been approved by the Office of Sustainability and the Environment for use throughout the city.
The contract would run through June 30, 2016.
Inspection services
City Hall is looking to contract with Willdan Geotechnical for inspection and testing services on the rebuilt Parking Structure 6.
The company beat out four other firms because of its experience, references and competitive prices, according to a staff report.
The $285,500 contract will pay for material testing and inspection to ensure that the concrete, masonry, steel, welding work and bolts that go into the newly-constructed parking structure meet City Hall’s requirements.
The parking structure is currently being demolished. The new building is expected to be finished in late 2013.
Broadcast services
Because no one wants to be deprived of their bi-weekly Tuesday night entertainment, City Hall is renewing a contract with the Santa Monica Community College District to broadcast City Council meetings over its radiowaves.
The $152,520 contract pays for another year of live radio broadcasts of the council meetings from 8 p.m. to midnight on public radio station 89.9 FM KCRW.
City Hall plans to renegotiate the contract for the 2014 fiscal year.
The broadcasts cover a 150-mile radius throughout Southern California and KCRW claims a weekly listenership of 550,000.
City Hall and the district have contracted to broadcast the meetings for over 20 years.
Bike funds
Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.
City officials want $120,000 to compete for a $1.2 million grant from the California Department of Transportation to pay for design and construction of a bike center on 17th Street.
The money equates to a 10 percent matching requirement for the grant, which would be used to build facilities to support bicyclists who use the Exposition Light Rail line at the planned 17th Street station.
The $1.08 million facility will include bike parking, lockers, showers, bike sharing and information for visitors. It’s expected to serve those Santa Monica College students who use the station.
More inspection
If approved by the council on Tuesday, the Smith-Emery Co. will get $113,212 to test structural concrete, masonry and grout elements at two parks being built adjacent to City Hall.
The firm beat out 20 others for the staff recommendation to perform testing services on the Palisades Garden Walk and Town Square Park, according to the report.
The firm will supply a deputy inspector, 275 concrete cylinder tests and 75 masonry, mortar and grout tests.
The inspector will be on the project for 140 days from April 2012 to July 2013.
Maria, Maria!
City staff are requesting $15,000 to keep on the retiring city clerk until a replacement can be found.
According to a staff report, the head hunting firm Alliance Resource Consulting will bring forward candidates in enough time for the City Council to select a new clerk by June or July.
Rather than allow a lapse in services, Maria Stewart, who is expected to retire in May, will be kept on for election-related tasks.
All other clerk duties will be assigned to the assistant city clerk during the interim period.
ashley@www.smdp.com
