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City Council Report
City of
Santa Monica
City Council Meeting: April 14, 2009
Agenda Item: ~ ~' ~'
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Lee E. Swain, Director, Department of Public Works
Subject: Landscape Services for Woodlawn Cemetery
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the City Manager to negotiate and
execute asix-month contract extension with ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc.,
for grounds landscape maintenance services at Woodlawn Cemetery in an amount not
to exceed $225,487 for services from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009, with option to
extend annually for up to four fiscal years, beginning July 1, 2009, with amounts
adjusted each year to reflect the then current Living Wage.
Executive Summary
ValleyCrest Landscape Maintenance, Inc., has been performing landscape services to
the Woodlawn Cemetery since December 2007, under a contract authorized by Council
in November 2007. The Council authorization on that date inadvertently left out a
request to adjust the contract amount during the extension periods to reflect Living
Wage. Funding for this contract will be requested with each fiscal year's budget.
Discussion
On November 27, 2007, Council authorized a contract with ValleyCrest Landscape
Maintenance, Inc., for grounds landscape maintenance services at Woodlawn Cemetery
in the amount of $391,948 plus a 10% contingency for a total of $431,143, with an
option to extend annually for up to five years. Since that time, ValleyCrest has
successfully pen`ormed daily turf mowing, aeration, fertilization, weeding, grave marker
edging and trimming, flower bed maintenance, trash collection, green waste collection
and trimming of the perimeter fence hedge both inside .and outside the Cemetery
grounds. The November 27, 2009, staff report inadvertently left out a request for
authorization to adjust the contract under the extensions to reflect the then prevailing
Living Wage. With the 4.6% Living Wage increase for FY 08/09, the amount needed for
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January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2009 is $225,487. The Living Wage increase for the first six
months of the fiscal year was absorbed within the previous contract's contingency.
Extending the contract at this time to June 30, 2009, will bring the contract expiration in
line with the City's fiscal year, allowing any execution of options to be timed with the
annual budget approval. Additionally, staff will continue to monitor the effectiveness of
utilizing outside contractors for these services versus unfreezing the positions and
completing the work with City staff.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
A portion of the funding required for this contract will continue to come from the freezing
of three vacant ground maintenance positions and is available in account
37641.555010. Funding for future fiscal years will be subject to approval as part of the
annual budget.
Prepared by:
Donald P. Patterson, Acting Assistant Director -Public Works
roved:
Lee E. Swain, Director
Department of Public Works
Forwarded to Council:
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Reference Amended
Contract No. 8860 (CCS).