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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05.T- Public Works DOC ID: 1433 CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO—REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Budget Amendment From: Nadeem Majaj M/CC Meeting Date: 12/05/2011 Prepared by: Javier Ochiqui, (909) 384-5140 Dept: Public Works Ward(s): All Subject: That the Mayor and Common Council Authorize the Finance Department to Amend the FY 2011-12 Adopted Budget to Enhance the Street Lighting Project. Financial Impact: Public Works has estimated the full cost of this street lighting project to be$690,000,which includes the costs for additional staffing,materials and supplies, and contractual services. Funding in the amount of$251,800 is remaining in the Public Works budget, which can be used for street lighting. If approved, City staff will initiate the process to reallocate$190,000 in CDBG funds for this effort and will continue to seek$248,200 in funding from other funding sources. Motion 1: Authorize the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2011-12 Public Works budget to enhance the Street Light Project; add two additional Electrician I positions, Range 1410, $3,431-$4,170 per month; increase the part-time budget by $50,000; or and authorize the Director of Finance to amend the FY 2011-12 budget as indicated in order to re-light the City of San Bernardino's inoperable lights by June 30,2011. Synopsis of Previous Council Action: On April 18, 2011, the Mayor and Common Council added two full-time and established two part-time Electrician I positions within the Public Works Department for Program 0092 (Street light Maintenance). Background: As a result of an increase in copper wire theft and an overall reduction in funding for the street lighting maintenance despite the recent personnel additions, the City of San Bernardino (City) has experienced a significant decline in available lighting along its streets. Consequently, the City's residents and administration have become increasingly concerned about the reality that this City is growing darker each day. The decline in street lighting throughout the City increases the probability of more crime, blight, and costs to the already challenged City resources. This situation directly impacts public safety and further challenges the City's efforts to attract new businesses and residents. For several decades, the City had maintained approximately half of the 14,200 street lights. i Updated: 12/1/2011 by Andrea Travis-Miller Packet Pg. 305 1433 Southern California Edison, Caltrans, and private parties operate the remainder of the street lights. A recent City-wide survey of the City's lighting identified the current number of inoperable lights to be approximately 2,700. Approximately 2,100 of the inoperable lights are City-owned and will need to be repaired by City staff and/or an outside contractor. In Fiscal Year 2007-08, the City was able to adequately maintain the street lighting system by a team of eight electricians. However, due to the downturn in the economy and the resulting fiscal challenges, in-house electrical maintenance services were terminated, and the electrical section's staff were transferred out of the division or laid off. Subsequently, a private contractor was hired. The contractor's budget was limited and the firm provided only two electricians to service the whole City. This reality, compounded with a dramatic increase in copper wire thefts, further plunged the City into darkness. To address this issue in part, the contract was terminated earlier this year and two electricians were transferred from other Public Works divisions to work on the street lights. While the small number of electricians has done an outstanding job, the team has not been able to service the whole City. On April 18, 2011, the Council approved the addition of two full-time electrician positions to backfill transferred employees and the addition of two part-time electrician positions in July,resulting in four positions dedicated to street lighting repairs. To further expedite the repairs, on June 9, 2011, Public Works advertised a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the re-lamping of 200 street lights. Four firms were notified and two submitted bids. The contract was awarded to a local firm for an amount not to exceed$25,000. To date,the company has accomplished a significant amount of the repairs and has submitted their final invoice, which is currently being reviewed by the department's Administration Division to ensure the completion of the contractor's work. Considering the seriousness of the City's lighting challenge, the City Manager directed the Public Works Department to prepare a plan to reach normal lighting conditions by the end of the current fiscal year. Public Works has evaluated the resources required to achieve this goal and concluded that a minimum of two additional (full-time) electricians would be needed, in addition to the issuance of a Request for Proposal for contractual services for City-wide electrical/lighting repairs. It is the City's intent to contract services to replace/repair 1,000 lights and the remaining 1,100 inoperable lights would be repaired by City staff. Public Works also plans to add four temporary Extra Heavy Relief Laborers to place the concrete security measures in electrical vaults as part of the wire protection efforts. In order to complete this street lighting project by June 30, 2011, Public Works determined funding in the amount of $690,000, which includes additional staffing, materials and supplies, and contractual services, is needed. This total amount of funding is not currently available in the Public Works Department's budget and would have to be reallocated from other projects or obtained through alternative funding sources. Currently, Public Works has $251,800 remaining in the departmental budget which can be used toward the street light repair project. The City Manager's Office has identified $190,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds which may be reallocated from Community Development and earmarked for General Program Administration costs including strategic and long-range planning. If Council approves this reallocation, the remaining amount needed to complete the street lighting project would be$248,200. If the Council is interested in pursuing the reallocation of the $190,000 in CDBG funds presently Updated: 12/1/2011 by Andrea Travis-Miller PacketPg.306 1433 allocated to Community Development, a public hearing on the proposed reallocation would be ['^ required. Additionally, the City would be required to amend the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved CDBG Annual Action Plan. To amend the Plan, the following steps are needed: 1. The City must ensure eligibility of the new activities; 2. Engage its Citizens Participation Plan which requires a period of not less than 30-days to receive comments (Public Comment) on the substantial amendment before the amendment is implemented; 3. Adoption, following the receipt and review of the public comments,by the City Council. Assuming the Council directs that the $190,000 in CDBG funds be reallocated for street lighting, an additional $248,200 would be required to fund this effort. City staff is in the process of requesting financial support for this project from other agencies including EDA and IVDA and additional information on these efforts will be provided at this evening's meeting. Supporting Documents: Updated: 12/1/2011 by Andrea Travis-Miller Packet.Pg. 307