SR-11-A (42)
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JUN - 9 1987
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Council Meeting: 06/09/87
Santa Monica, California
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FROM:
City Staff
SUBJECT:
Recommendations Regarding the Serving of Coffee to
Members of the Public During city Council Meetings.
Introduction
During the city council meeting of May 5, 1987, the city Council
directed staff to investigate the feasibility of serving coffee
to members of the public during City Council meetings.
following outlines that analysis as requested.
The
Background
currently, neither coffee nor other hot beverages are available
to the public in City Hall during City council meetings.
Cold
beverages and snacks can be purchased from SMPOA vending machines
in the front lobby of the Police Department or from the MEA
vending machine in the MEA Lounge, but neither are
readily
accessible. Members of the public must currently go offsite to
purchase hot beverages.
The City Council requested that staff investigate options for
serving hot beverages, including the use of a catering service to
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JUN - 9 1987
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provide such beverages on contract; the installation of hot
beverage vending machines in either the city Hall lobby, the
second floor mezzanine or in the MEA Lounge: and the provision of
such beverages by City staff.
Discussion
A) provision of Beverages by Catering service:
Various caterers were surveyed regarding the cost and logistics
of providing hot beverages to the public during City Council
meetings. The cost to provide a catered service would be
approximately $100 per meeting, which includes delivery, set-up
and clean-up. Costs could be defrayed through the sale of the
beverages to the public should the Council wish to do so.
B) Installation of Beverage Vending Machines in City Hall
Currently, the only beverage vending machine readily available to
the general public are the SMPOA cold beverage machines in the
front lobby of the Police Department. A cold beverage machine is
also available in the MEA Lounge, but is not readily accessible.
staff has explored installing hot beverage vending machines in
the front lobby of city Hall, on the second floor mezzanine, or
in the MEA Lounge. Such a machine, which would serve coffee,
tea, hot chocolate and soup, would cost approximately $3,000 to
purchase and cost approximately 6 cents per cup served to stock.
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Average revenues generated from this type of vending machine
range from 25 to 30 cents per cup.
Although installation of a hot beverage machine could be done in
either the front lobby or second floor mezzanine location, space
limi tations preclude an installation location which would not
either interrupt the flow of traffic in the hallways or mar the
appearance of the lobby entrance or second floor landing. The MEA
Lounge location was also investigated, but the location is not
accessible to the handicapped, is situated in a remote location
which would require signage, and vlould involve members of the
public walking through isolated sections of the building, making
it difficult to provide security.
C) provision of Beverages by city staff:
Staff has also explored the feasibility of providing hot water,
instant coffee and tea on a table to be set-up by City staff just
prior to each Council meeting in the area of the second floor
mezzanine adjacent to the public restrooms. The beverages would
remain available throughout the City Council meeting and would be
removed by the custodial staff. The costs to provide such
beverages would be approximately $240 per year including purchase
of coffee urns and serving supplies.
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Budget/Fiscal Impact
The costs of the various options would range from approximately
$240 if City staff set-up the coffee and tea prior to each city
Council meeting to approximately $3,000 for purchase of a vending
machine and an indeterminate amount to stock such a machine.
Revenues could be generated in two of the three options proposed,
although uncertainty as to the quantity of coffee consumed makes
it difficult to estimate the actual revenues which would be
generated.
Recommendation
Should the City Council wish to serve hot beverages to members of
the public, city staff recommends that Council authorize the
provision of instant coffee and tea on a table to be situated on
the second floor mezzanine and to be set-up by City staff, as the
most logistically simple and cost-effective method of doing so.
Prepared by: Julia Griffin
senior Management Analyst
(coffee)
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