b) REPORT 22-0401 AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A PARKS MASTER PLAN TO CATALYST CONSULTING
(Community Resources Manager Lisa Nichols)
I am extremely disappointed that this proposed study has reached this far on our Agenda without discussion. We discussed this at your budget session and thought we would consider eliminating the need to go out for a request for proposal (RFP) on a contract.
When you hear people complain about wasted City spending on studies by the city manager, this is the type of thing that those critics are referring to. It is not necessarily the city manager that is at fault, it is this city council where the buck should stop!
I am opposed to spending $105,000 for this contract. I am opposed to it going to the recommended consultant. While I have nothing against who it is being awarded to, it was the only valid reply to the RFP. Furthermore it is a startup consulting firm newly established by someone who recently retired from the city of Torrance.
This task should be completed by City staff. It is estimated we are to pay the consultant $100 an hour for 10 hours a week. Staff could do it on an as-needed basis and if it's only 5 hours a week it will just take longer and our Parks Master Plan will be completed and should be completed by City staff.
We should not be funding the coffers of retired city employees instead of using and utilizing our own in-house resources to do the job. Furthermore we have other Parks issues that need to be addressed such as the bathrooms. All of this should be done by the same city staff without duplication and without another proposed study that will most likely be coming to you soon.
We do not need consultants, we need staff that already knows our city and knows what needs to be done.
Dear mayor and city council:
I am extremely disappointed that this proposed study has reached this far on our Agenda without discussion. We discussed this at your budget session and thought we would consider eliminating the need to go out for a request for proposal (RFP) on a contract.
When you hear people complain about wasted City spending on studies by the city manager, this is the type of thing that those critics are referring to. It is not necessarily the city manager that is at fault, it is this city council where the buck should stop!
I am opposed to spending $105,000 for this contract. I am opposed to it going to the recommended consultant. While I have nothing against who it is being awarded to, it was the only valid reply to the RFP. Furthermore it is a startup consulting firm newly established by someone who recently retired from the city of Torrance.
This task should be completed by City staff. It is estimated we are to pay the consultant $100 an hour for 10 hours a week. Staff could do it on an as-needed basis and if it's only 5 hours a week it will just take longer and our Parks Master Plan will be completed and should be completed by City staff.
We should not be funding the coffers of retired city employees instead of using and utilizing our own in-house resources to do the job. Furthermore we have other Parks issues that need to be addressed such as the bathrooms. All of this should be done by the same city staff without duplication and without another proposed study that will most likely be coming to you soon.
We do not need consultants, we need staff that already knows our city and knows what needs to be done.
THANKS