On the agenda: Key issues at the September 10 Richmond City Council meeting
The Richmond City Council returns from summer break on September 10 with a consent calendar filled with items that will be approved without discussion. These include the second reading of the nepotism prevention ordinance, assorted contracts, and proclamations.
There is only one new business item on Tuesday’s agenda: the renaming of a section of Spring Street south of Cutting Boulevard to Pedie Perez Avenue to memorialize Richard “Pedie” Perez III, who was killed by a Richmond police officer ten years ago.
Linda Hemmila
Nepotism is back on the agenda for a second reading
The ordinance would prevent the appointment of immediate family members of city councilmembers, the city manager, or department heads from serving on Richmond boards, commissions, committees, and task forces and limits an individual’s participation to one such city body at a time.
Soren Hemmila
Investment and cash balance report and transfer tax report
For fiscal year 2023-24, the city budgeted $13.3 million in the Documentary Transfer Tax category and only received $8.6 million, a $4.7 million shortfall.
The documentary transfer tax is the most volatile revenue stream for the city with the amounts received month-to-month varying from $300,000 to more than $3 million. A few large sales can alter the amount received by millions.
Almost a million in overtime per month for police and fire
For the public safety overtime report, the police department originally had a $4.8 million budget for overtime, but this number was revised to $6.7 million. The fire department originally had a budget of $4.4 million, but it was revised to $5.1 million for a total revised safety overtime budget of $11.8 million.
Independence days proclamation
The City of Richmond recognizes September as a month of celebration for the independence days of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Chile, and Belize. This proclamation honors the rich cultural contributions of our Latin American communities. It reaffirms the city's commitment to unity and celebrates our shared history and diversity.
The first-ever Richmond/San Pablo Fiestas Patrias Parade is reportedly generating regional buzz and drawing swarms of civic groups, musicians, cultural organizations, and others in anticipation of Saturday, September 14.
Last year, revelers celebrated independence by dancing in the street on 23rd Street, waving flags, and playing music.
Soren Hemmila
Contracts for various city services
The agenda includes millions of dollars worth of contracts for various city services, including facilitation and conflict resolution, legal services, festival support, data management services, animal control services, public records solutions, maintenance, pest control, and bird mitigation services.
The city is set to approve contracts with Municipal Resources Group (MRG) and Peer Advocates for $100,000 each, with a total limit of $300,000 per contract, for facilitation, conflict resolution, consultation, and training.
A $250,000 increase was made to the legal services agreement with Allen, Glaessner, Hazelwood & Werth LLP, bringing the contract total to $1,510,000.
A $2,000 allocation was made from the FY 2024-2025 festival budget to support the El Sobrante Stroll, a community event.
The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform received a contract of $26,400 for data management and visualization services, with the contract term running from October 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
Contra Costa County Animal Services was allocated $1,239,566 for FY 2024-2025, extending the total contract amount to $3,130,321, with services continuing through June 30, 2025.
Enformion will be awarded a $250,000 contract for three years, from September 11, 2024, to September 10, 2027, for public records and data solutions for government agencies, with two one-year extensions at $85,000 annually.
A $150,000 contract was sought with Automatic Door Systems, Inc. for three years, from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027, for the maintenance of automatic doors, with two optional extensions totaling $50,000.
Pestec received a $100,000 contract for three years, from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027, for pest control, bird mitigation, and clean-up services, with two one-year extensions totaling $50,000.
Woop! Woop!
Public Works is seeking a temporary waiver of competitive bidding to purchase 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles.
The council approved the purchase of 16 pursuit-rated police vehicles for the Richmond Police Department at a cost of up to $1,185,000. However, pandemic, supply chain issues, and high demand have made it difficult for the city to replace pursuit-rated police vehicles with certainty of pricing or delivery date. Delivery times now exceed 18 months.
Due to these circumstances, a “first-come, first-served” model has emerged, governing the acquisition of specialized police vehicles designed for pursuit purposes. Public agencies, including Richmond, risk missing a narrow window for budget approval, public bidding, purchase approval, contracting, and procurement of these highly sought-after, limited-supply vehicles.
The Regular meeting of the Richmond City Council will be held on September 10 at 6:30 p.m.
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