TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: Brian Ambrose, Director of Community Services
PREPARED BY: Lindsay Sisti, Assistant Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Funding Agreement with the Riverside County Flood Control and
Water Conservation District and Awarding of Encampment
Clean-up Agreements
title
end
RECOMMENDATION
recommendation
Approve a funding agreement between the City of Murrieta and Riverside County Flood
Control and Water Conservation District for cleanup of trash, debris, and other items on
District-owned property and authorize the City Manager to execute all applicable documents;
Approve an Agreement for On-Call Homeless Encampment Clean-Up Services between the
City of Murrieta and HCI;
Approve an Agreement for On-Call Homeless Encampment Clean-Up Services between the
City of Murrieta and Clean Harbors; and
Authorize a budget appropriation of $75,000 under account 1105100-60480 and an offsetting revenue budget in account 1105100-42223 associated with the funding agreement with Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District in Fiscal Years 2023/24 and 2024/25.
body
PRIOR ACTION/VOTE
None.
CITY COUNCIL GOAL
Coordinate and deliver responsive, effective community services.
BACKGROUND
The Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) is the regional flood management authority for the western part of Riverside County (County). The District also provides certain floodplain management, development review, NPDES compliance, etc., for the entire County.
The District owns, operates, and maintains a large portion of the major creeks and flood control channels in the City of Murrieta (City), including areas within Murrieta Creek. The creek beds and waterways are frequently used for homeless encampments, and as a result, accumulate significant amounts of trash, debris, abandoned personal property, and hazardous materials. The City and the District have mutually agreed on the need to provide cleanup services on District property to maintain the efficiency of the flood control and water conservation facilities, the integrity of the natural state of the property, and to reduce the risk of soil and water contamination.
The attached Funding Agreement (Agreement) gives the City and its contractors permission to enter District property to remove materials from the property either at the District’s request or as determined by City staff. The Agreement provides that the District shall reimburse the City for its costs of performing the work, including the cost of contractors working on behalf of the City.
The Agreement authorizes the City to perform material removal services on District-owned property, and the District shall reimburse the City up to $75,000 in any given fiscal year, up to $225,000 over the entire term of this Agreement. The Agreement may be renewed in future years by mutual agreement of the City and District. The Agreement requires the City to follow the Material Removal Procedures outlined in Exhibit B and keep the District apprised of its efforts to remove materials from District-owned properties.
To provide the services agreed upon between the District and the City, as well as maintain homeless encampment clean-up services throughout the City, staff is seeking to enter into agreements with two vendors that specialize in proper encampment clean-up and sterilization. The City’s Homeless Services Division lacks appropriate staffing, health and safety disposal knowledge, and necessary supplies to properly clean encampment sites. Allowing subject matter experts to conduct the clean-up while staff maintains control of the storage and retention of the property increases the probability of program success and decreases the chances for future legal action against the City.
In April, staff released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for as-needed, on-call encampment clean-up services. Proposals were due on April 28, 2023. Four responses were received from Clean Harbors, HCI Environmental, Singh Group, and United Pumping. After review of the proposals, staff held interviews with all four proposers on May 30, 2023. Staff asked questions designed to test the knowledge of all proposers regarding proper procedures, capacity, experience, and cost. The panel selected the top two vendors based on a point system that was independently scored by the panel, and the two highest-scoring vendors recommended were: Clean Harbors and HCI Environmental.
Since it is difficult to predict how many and how often encampments will arise within the city, staff has structured the agreements on an as-needed basis based on rates proposed by the vendors with a not-to-exceed amount. Encampments come in all levels of disarray, spanning from an individual tent to entire communities that contain thousands of yards of debris and hazardous waste. Having multiple vendors will allow the staff and law enforcement to react timely and efficiently. The intention will be to utilize each of the two companies on a rotating basis, or, if needed, call in the company best suited to each unique situation (such as a large-scale or biohazard clean-up). Each job will require the vendor to submit a cost proposal, including labor, time, supplies, and equipment, before commencing work to ensure accountability. The two vendors will also be the contacts used for the agreement between the District and the City.
Each vendor will be conducting two separate services on behalf of the City: Murrieta Creek clean-up through the District agreement, and as-needed clean-ups throughout the rest of the city. City staff will be the point of contact for the vendors in both instances. Funding for the as-needed clean-ups has already been approved in the current budget cycle, and is separate from the funding being received by the District.
FISCAL IMPACT
Approving the two on-call encampment contractor agreements will result in expenditures not to exceed $65,000 per vendor per fiscal year ($195,000 each). The total authority for the two agreements will be $390,000 over the three-year term. Funding was included in the operations and maintenance (O&M) account 1105100-60480 for FY 2023/24 for clean-ups on City property.
An additional appropriation of $75,000 per fiscal year ($225,000 over the initial term of the Agreement) is needed for on-call encampment clean-ups on District properties located within the City boundaries. As a result, staff requests that the City Council authorize a budget appropriation of $75,000 under account 1105100-60480 and an offsetting revenue budget in account 1105100-42223 as the City will be reimbursed pursuant to the funding Agreement with Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District in Fiscal Years 2023/24 and 2024/25. The budget appropriation for the final year of the Agreement will be requested in a future biennial budget.
ATTACHMENTS
1) Agreement with Riverside County Flood Control
2) Agreement with HCI
3) Agreement with Clean Harbors