To: Board of Supervisors
From: Planning and Building Department
Agenda Section: Consent
SUBJECT:
title
Pre-Qualification List of Contractors and Consultants to Assist the Code Enforcement Unit with Performing County Abatements
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RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Receive and accept the recommended pre-qualification list for contractors and consultants to perform abatement of various public nuisances;
2. Authorize the Director of Planning and Building to execute professional service agreements with the prequalified contractors and consultants for the purpose of performing County abatement of nuisance properties in a form substantially similar to the professional services agreement attached hereto as Attachment C;
3. Authorize the Director of Planning and Building to sign any modifications and/or amendments and documents relating to the agreements as may be required upon review and approval of County Counsel and Risk Management; and
4. Authorize the Director of Planning and Building to execute any and all future task order agreements with qualified contractors for the purpose of establishing project specific terms and details after review and approval of County Counsel and Risk Management.
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SOURCE OF FUNDING:
Property owner(s) of properties requiring nuisance abatement.
DISCUSSION:
The Planning and Building Department seeks your Board approval to enter into professional service agreements with eight (8) qualified contractors and consulting firms for the purpose of assisting the department in performing Code Enforcement public nuisance abatements. After a property owner is served a Notice to Abate Nuisance and fails to timely appeal the Code Enforcement’s determination that a public nuisance exist on the affected property or within ten (10) calendar days or a period set by the Hearing Officer after service of the Finding of Nuisance and Order of Abatement, the County acquires jurisdiction to abate the public nuisance pursuant to Humboldt County Code section 351-13(a).
On October 26, 2020, the Planning and Building Department issued a Request for Proposal (Attachment A) for assistance with Code Enforcement abatement projects. Eight (8) companies responded to the Request for Proposal demonstrating their specific area(s) of expertise. After evaluating the responses, the Planning and Building Department determined the following eight (8) companies were responsive
• LACO Associates, Inc.
• New Life Service Co.
• Hudspeth and Associates, Inc.
• Wahlund Construction, Inc.
• Johns’ Group, Inc.
• K.H. McKenny, Inc.
• McCullough Construction, Inc.
• Mercer-Fraser Company
These companies were selected to perform a variety of services due to their thoroughness of response, expertise in their field and successful work with other jurisdictions. The contactors and consultants will be utilized rotationally based on their specific expertise as it pertains to each individual abatement project. Attachment B indicates the specific areas of demonstrated expertise for each qualified contractor and consultant and the rotational queue for each type of abatement. A Task Order in much the same format as Attachment D will be used to define the terms of each specific project and will include details such as location, scope of services, cost estimates, timelines and deliverables.
The list of pre-qualified contractors and consulting firms will allow the County to call upon when Code Enforcement obtains jurisdiction to perform the abatement. The benefit of having an established list of pre-qualified contractors and consultants will streamline the abatement process.
For staff, securing a contractor or consulting firm to perform the required abatement is a lengthy process. Currently, staff spends a significant amount of time recruiting and selecting a contractor and/or consulting firm to perform abatement services for each individual project. The process involves coordinating schedules for three or more contractors to visit the site to assess the required work. Unless the owner gives consent to have the contractors and/or consultants visit the site, staff is required to first obtain an inspection warrant from a judge, which requires a formal declaration documenting the evidence collected, timelines and other details of the case. After the inspection occurs the contractors and/or consultants submit bid proposals and staff must review and select the successful contactor and/or consultant. These steps can add several weeks to the process, therefore, establishing a list of pre-qualified contractors and consultants will significantly shorten the process.
Through this RFP and the establishment of an on-call list of pre-qualified contactors and consultants, the process will be significantly shortened. There will likely be several abatement projects per year, and they will be rotated among the contractors and consultants based on scope of work and qualification of the contractor or consultant to perform the required abatement.
The Code Enforcement Unit has many cases where the County has obtained jurisdiction to abate the public nuisance. Even after obtaining jurisdiction, the County gives property owners several opportunities to perform the abatement of the public nuisance voluntarily. Unfortunately, many of the cases have exhausted all opportunities and require the County to step in. The specific abatement will vary in complexity and scope and depend on the details of the property conditions. For example, the County may have one project where solid waste and junk vehicles need to be removed from a property and another project where unpermitted grading needs to be remedied.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The professional service agreements will initially be set for a not exceed amount of $200,000.00 per agreement ($1,400,000.00 total). For each project, the recovery of the abatement costs will become a charge against the affected property and made a special assessment pursuant to the process specified in Humboldt County Code section 351-16 et seq. The costs will be collected at the same time and in the same manner as ordinary property taxes. No general fund allocation beyond that currently budgeted is being requested.
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK:
This action supports your Board’s Strategic Framework by enforcing laws and regulations to protect residents type in or leave blank.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
N/A
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board could choose not to utilize qualified contractors and consultants to assist with County abatements of nuisance properties. This alternative is not recommended because the number of cases and the expertise the contractors and consultants offer will provide capacity to complete abatements in a timely manner.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A: Request for Proposals No. 20-02 Code Enforcement Abatement Services
Attachment B: List of Abatement Services and Rotational Queue
Attachment C: Sample Professional Services Agreement
Attachment D: Sample Task Order
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Board Order No.:
Meeting of:
File No.: