REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Ursula Luna-Reynosa, Director of Community Development
Subject:
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Approve and authorize execution of Contract Amendment No. 1 with Kimley-Horn, Inc. for preparation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element in an amount not to exceed $52,900 for Public Outreach
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Statement of Issue:
Transmitted for the City Council consideration is a request to amend an existing contract between the City and Kimley-Horn, Inc. The contract for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update would be increased by an amount not to exceed $52,900. The contract amendment is needed to provide expanded public outreach during the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update.
Financial Impact:
No additional appropriations are requested for this action. The Kimley-Horn, Inc. amendment will be absorbed within the approved Community Development Department’s FY 2020/21 budget, Professional Services account 10060201.69365.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
Approve and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute “Amendment No.1 to Professional Services Contract Between the City of Huntington Beach and Kimley-Horn, Inc. for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update.”
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Alternative Action(s):
Deny the contract amendment between the City and Kimley-Horn, Inc. and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
The City Council approved the professional services contract for the 6th Cycle Housing Element update in October 2020, totaling $505,355, for which $500,000 is funded through a grant from the state and the remainder comes from the Community Development Department professional services budget. The public outreach budget of the approved contract includes two community workshops, three Planning Commission Study Session meetings, one City Council Study Session meeting and all associated materials for a total of $45,390.
At the March 1, 2021 Joint Study Session of the Planning Commission and City Council, Mayor Carr and Councilmember Moser expressed interest in expanding the outreach plan. As such, staff asked Kimley-Horn to prepare a scope with expanded public engagement opportunities. The consultant created a menu of various outreach options including the potential for 11 additional focused and target group meetings, preparation of project fact sheets in English and Spanish, an online survey, and production of information video segments (Attachment No. 1) totaling $52,900. The public engagement opportunities were developed by Kimley-Horn based on what has worked well in their 6th Cycle Housing Element outreach experience in other Orange County cities. The expanded outreach scope representing a menu of options would provide the most flexibility for the City to tailor the outreach process as we progress through the project. Staff believes that this approach enables the City to adapt the plan as we receive public input and be the most responsive to new issues that arise throughout the project as well as the changing COVID-19 situation. In addition, given the increased level of interest by the public and other interested parties in the 6th cycle update (largely due to the substantial increase in the City’s RHNA allocation and all of the new housing element laws enacted in recent years), staff believes an expanded outreach approach will be beneficial to the ultimate project outcome.
It should be noted that the original contract was approved without contingency. Generally, for a major project of this scope, staff recommends a 20% contingency in the budget, which usually ends up used on additional public engagement or environmental analysis. The additional requested budget amount of $52,900 is less than the typical 20% contingency.
Environmental Status:
The request is exempt pursuant to Section 15061(b) (3) of the California Environmental Quality Act.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Community Engagement
Attachment(s):
1. Expanded Public Outreach Options Scope of Work
2. Amendment No. 1 to Agreement between City of Huntington Beach and Kimley-Horn, Inc. for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update
3. Original Professional Services Contract between the City of Huntington Beach and Kimley-Horn, Inc. for the 6th Cycle Housing Element Update
4. Insurance Certificate