TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Brian Ambrose, Community Services Director
PREPARED BY: Brian Ambrose, Community Services Director
SUBJECT:
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Funding Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Award of Agreement for On-Call Encampment Cleanup Services
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ABSTRACT
As part of the City’s ongoing homeless services strategy to achieve and maintain functional zero homelessness, staff conducts proactive encampment resolution efforts following repeated outreach and engagement attempts to connect individuals experiencing homelessness with housing opportunities, supportive services, and other critical resources.
The actions before the City Council are to:
1. Approve a three-year reimbursement agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and authorize the associated revenue budget appropriation; and
2. Approve agreements with two (2) vendors to provide on-call encampment cleanup services in support of ongoing encampment resolution efforts throughout the City, including on Flood Control District property.
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Amend the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Operating Budget to establish a revenue budget of $75,000 as detailed in the fiscal impact statement;
Approve a funding agreement between the City of Murrieta and Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District for the cleanup of trash, debris, and other items on District-owned property and authorize the City Manager to execute all applicable documents;
Approve a three year agreement with Restore Environmental, LLC in the amount of $135,00 for on-call Homeless Encampment Clean-Up Services;
Approve a three year agreement with Hunter’s Consulting, Inc. dba HCI Environmental in the amount of $225,000 for on-call Homeless Encampment Clean-Up Services; and
Authorize the City Manager to execute agreements with HCI Environmental and Restore Environmental, LLC, and to execute any future extensions to the agreement as provided within the terms of the agreements.
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PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
On August 15, 2023, the City Council, approved a three-year funding agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and awarded three-year encampment clean-up service agreements to Clean Harbors and Hunter’s Consultant Inc. (Vote:5-0).
STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT
This item aligns with the City Council goal of: coordinating and delivering responsive, effective community services relating to an administrative priority.
DISCUSSION
The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) owns and maintains major creeks and flood control channels throughout the City of Murrieta (City), including portions of Murrieta Creek. These waterways are occasionally impacted by homeless encampments, resulting in the accumulation of trash, debris, abandoned property, and hazardous materials that can adversely affect flood control operations, environmental resources, public safety, and water quality.
The attached funding agreement (Attachment 1) authorizes the City and its contractors to access District-owned property to perform encampment cleanup services at the District’s request, or as determined necessary by City staff. Under the terms of the agreement, the District will reimburse the City for eligible costs associated with these services, including contractor expenses incurred on the City’s behalf. The agreement authorizes the City to perform these services from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, with a not-to-exceed amount of $225,000 over the term of the agreement. This represents the second, three-year reimbursement agreement between the City and the District for encampment clean-up services.
Due to the specialized staffing, equipment, and hazardous materials handling expertise required to safely conduct encampment cleanups, the City does not perform these services in-house. Accordingly, staff recommends entering into agreements with qualified vendors to continue providing these services on an as-needed basis. As the City’s current agreements will expire on June 30, 2026, staff released a Request for Proposals (RFP) on April 29, 2026, seeking qualified contractors to provide as-needed encampment cleanup services.
The RFP application period closed on May 20, 2026, and the City received 11 proposals. Staff reviewed all submitted proposals and selected five (5) vendors to participate in interviews on June 5, 2026. Following the interview process, staff found that Restore Environmental, LLC and HCI Environmental were the most qualified firms and offered the best overall value to the City for the requested services. HCI Environmental is currently a contractor for encampment clean-up services, and Restore Environmental, LLC has been used by the City in the past. Both have provided timely services of complex clean-ups and understand public safety and encampment protocols.
The proposed agreements are structured on an as-needed basis to provide operational flexibility in responding to varying encampment conditions throughout the City, including large-scale debris removal and biohazard remediation. The selected vendors will provide cleanup services both within Murrieta Creek under the District reimbursement agreement and throughout other areas of the City as needed. These agreements will support the City’s ongoing encampment resolution efforts while protecting public health, environmental resources, and critical flood control infrastructure.
PUBLIC NOTICING
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
CEQA AND REGULATORY OVERVIEW
This action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approving the two (2) on-call encampment contractor agreements will result in expenditures not to exceed $360,000 over the terms of both agreements. However, annual expenditures are anticipated to be approximately $120,000. The agreements are on an as-needed basis and based upon rates submitted by the vendors. Funding for any work provided on District property will be reimbursed.
Funding for these activities is already available for FY 2026/27 in account 1105100-60480.
If the City Council approves the Funding Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, staff recommends an amendment to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026/27 Operating Budget to establish a revenue budget of $75,000 in general ledger account 1105100-42223 to reflect expected reimbursements from the County.
ATTACHMENTS
ATT 1 - Agreement with Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District
ATT 2 - Agreement with Restore Environmental, LLC
ATT 3 - Agreement with Hunter’s Consulting, Inc. dba HCI Environmental