SR 10-25-2011 3KID
City 0 City Council Report
Santa Monica'
City Council Meeting: October 25, 2011
Agenda Item: ,I _
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rod Gould, City Manager
Subject: Allocation of Staff Time to the City of Bell
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council authorize the allocation of no more than 80
hours of City of Santa Monica staff time at a cost not to exceed $7,000 to assist the City
of Bell in the procurement of a property management firm for two mobile home parks
owned by the City of Bell.
Executive Summary
The City of Bell desires to bring in professional property management to oversee two
Bell -owned mobile home parks. After several years of mismanagement, Bell lacks the
internal staff resources to oversee significant processes to procure professionals, such
as the procurement of property management professionals. As the City of Santa
Monica recently completed the process of procuring a firm for management of its own
City -owned mobile home park, the City of Bell requested the City's assistance in
completing a similar process for two Bell -owned mobile home parks. This report
recommends that the City Council authorize City staff to assist the City of Bell in this
endeavor, at a cost not to exceed $7,000.
Background
Following the dismantling of systemically mismanaged and ethically unsound city
operations, a new Bell City Council and interim senior staff are working to institute
integrity and good management practices in the operations of the City of Bell. The City
of Bell has reached out to a variety of local governments and organizations for
assistance in the process of rebuilding a city organization and restoring the Bell
citizenry's trust in local government. The City of Bell owns two mobile home parks that
are in need of professional property management. Bell's interim City Manager
requested assistance from Santa Monica as a result of the City's recent experience in
1
hiring a property manager for the City's -owned mobile home park. Santa Monica
completed the process of issuing a request for proposals (RFP), soliciting responses,
reviewing proposals, making a recommendation to City Council, and negotiating a
contract in 2010.
Discussion
As the City recently completed the process of procuring a property manager for
Mountain View Mobile Home Park, staff believes that the previous RFP, list of potential
respondents, and rating criteria and process can be easily replicated to serve the needs
of the City of Bell. As a result, staff estimates that the total amount of City staff time (to
be provided by a Senior Development Analyst from the Housing and. Economic
Development Department's Housing Division) needed to implement the procurement for
Bell will range between 40 and 50 hours, with a maximum of 80 hours. Most of the work
will be done from City offices. Should additional City time be needed to complete the
process, staff will return to Council for additional authorization.
Staff believes that there are benefits to the City of Santa Monica as a result of assisting
the City of Bell. Bell owns two mobile home parks. Santa Monica also owns a park, and
the City occasionally has to address issues related to the second mobile home park in
Santa Monica, which is privately owned. Assisting the City of Bell will benefit Santa
Monica because the work will provide training and learning opportunities for Santa
Monica staff. Learning about the specifics of operation and management of the Bell
parks will provide useful experience and new ideas for City staff about how to most
effectively manage the City's park. It will also enhance staff's understanding of broader
mobile home park operations and issues.. More generally, Bell provides a particularly
compelling case study in City administration because its years of mismanagement
provides a window into how ethical and other lapses can lead to larger governmental
failures. City employees can benefit and become better public servants by working with
Bell as it works to improve City management and its governmental culture.
2
Therefore, staff recommends that the City Council authorize the proposed allocation of
staff time.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
Up to 80 hours of staff time is estimated to have a value of less than $7,000.
If approved by Council, staff will coordinate the work effort for Bell to ensure that
primary responsibilities associated with providing services in Santa Monica will not be
impacted significantly.
Prepared by: Andy Agle, Director of Housing and Economic Development
Approved:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Forwarded to Council:
3
Rod Gould
City Manager