Council Approves Purchase of Climate-Friendly Vehicles as Part of Consent Calendar

As part of Monday’s consent calendar, the City Council approved a purchase order contract with 72 Hour LLC for the purchase of six electric utility vehicles, eight police interceptor hybrid sport utility vehicles, one chipper truck, and one asphalt patch truck in an amount not to exceed $855,306.

As part of the approved FY 2022 Operating Budget, a 3-Year Fleet Replacement Plan is being implemented to comprehensively address the City’s aging fleet.

This three-year plan prioritizes the City’s vehicle replacement needs in support of each department’s operations, ensuring safe modes of transportation and vehicle equipment for staff to perform their duties and services, decreasing fleet maintenance and repair costs, and simultaneously allowing a consolidated effort to group similar vehicle types for economies of scale and efficient purchasing process.

In the past the city has purchased gasoline-powered vehicles, but now is purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles.

Local residents have called for the purchase of more climate-friendly vehicles.

Last month the Municipal Services Committee voted unanimously in favor of purchasing the climate-friendly vehicles.

The 16 vehicles will replace those currently assigned to the Public Works Department, the Pasadena Police and Fire Departments, and the Department of Information Technology.

Six 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUVs will be purchased to be used for daily field inspections, investigations, training sessions, job site meetings and other assorted tasks.

Eight police vehicles, which have been in use for anywhere between eight and 16 years, will be replaced with 2021 Ford Explorer Police Inspector Hybrid SUVs to be used for 24/7 response to critical incidents and investigations associated with public safety.

The chipper truck and asphalt trucks will replace two service trucks in the Department of Public Works that are both essential service vehicles that respond to recurring tree maintenance and road repairs as well as work requests called in through the City’s Citizen Service Center, the report said. The new trucks will be a Ford 2023 F750 chipper truck, and Ford 2022 F350 asphalt truck. The report also showed there are no available zero-emission vehicles of these types that are currently in the market.

Here are the other items that were unanimously approved on Monday.

• The City Council could authorize the City Manager to amend contracts with Union Station Homeless Services and the Sycamores by $178,200 and $100,000 respectively for motel voucher funding. The agencies were selected to administer emergency shelter projects for up to twenty-four months. City staff is recommending increasing the funding available under these contracts to expand the provision of scattered-site motel-based shelter services for people experiencing homelessness using available federal emergency solutions grant funds authorized by the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief, & Economic Security Act (ESG-CV). “As in the 2020-2021 winter season, Friends In Deed will not operate the Bad Weather Shelter this year due to challenges with securing a site in addition to concerns about safe operations during the pandemic,” according to a city staff report contained in Monday’s agenda. “Friends In Deed, Union Station Homeless Services, and Sycamores will provide short-term motel stays when overnight temperatures are projected to drop below 40 degrees or there is a greater than 40% chance of rain. The public health department will also provide weather-activated motel services this season.”

• A Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Pasadena and the Pasadena Firefighters Management Association. The Pasadena Firefighters Management Association (PFMA) represents 6 full-time employees in the classification of Fire Battalion Chief. Battalion Chiefs possess division manager responsibilities in the administration of various Pasadena Fire Department operations, including but not limited to fire suppression, emergency medical services, fire and environmental safety, disaster preparedness, professional standards, and training. The most recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the PFMA expired on September 30. Negotiations for a successor MOU began on August 11, and the parties reached a tentative agreement on a 16-month successor MOU on December 9.

• Retroactive salary schedules for the Pasadena Fire Fighters Association (PFFA) for the period of October 2, 2006 – June 29, 2014; and a retroactive effective date of August 9, 2004 for the fire staff premium side letter of agreement that was previously approved on September 21, 2015. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) uses salary schedules to determine pay rates and establish pensionable compensation for purposes of determining retirement benefits. A recent CalPERS review of payroll reporting identified two items for correction. The first item relates to reporting of base pay that exceeded the rates established in the publicly available salary schedule approved by the City Council; the second item relates to Memorandum of Understanding language that was used to establish a special assignment premium pay. These items can be corrected through City Council approval.

• A contract with Groome Industrial Services for the labor and materials to replace gas turbine (GT) 3 and GT4 and Selective catalyst reduction for an amount not-to-exceed $1,760,000, which includes a base contract amount of $1,600,000 and a 10% contingency of $160,000 to provide for any unforeseen change orders.

• A purchase order with South Coast Fire Equipment, Inc., for the purchase of two Pierce Arrow XT Triple Combination Fire Engines in an amount not-to-exceed $1,952,961. The two new Pierce Arrow XT Engines will be housed at Fire Station 31 and Fire Station 34. They will be placed into front-line service to assist with over 4,500 annual service calls and 2,000 annual service calls, respectively. Upon delivery of the new Pierce Arrow XT Engines, vehicle #2321 at Fire Station 31 will be moved to reserve status and reserve fire engine #0138 will be salvaged.

• A purchase order contract with Emergency Vehicle Group, Inc. for the purchase of three Road Rescue Ultramedic Rescue Ambulances in an amount not to exceed $1,029,844. The PFD currently operates ten (10) rescue ambulances (RAs), five (5) of which are front-line RAs and five (5) in reserve status. Front line RA units #0966, #0967 and #0968, assigned to Fire Stations, 32, 33 and 34 respectively, have exceeded their useful lives and have been deemed eligible for replacement. The ambulances replacing these units are new models of the existing RAs currently in use. Replacing these vehicles eliminates the need for costly repairs due to the ages and conditions of the vehicles. Upon delivery of the replacement RAs, the existing units will be moved into reserve status; three reserve RA units will be salvaged.

• A contract with Amtech for an amount not-to-exceed $267,261 (which includes a $24,297 contingency) over a three-year period and authorization to extend the contract for up to two additional one-year extensions, in the annual amount of $89,087 at the discretion of the City Manager, for a maximum total contract length of five years and a grand total contract amount of $445,435. The Department of Public Works, Building Systems and Fleet Management Division (BSFMD) requires a vendor to provide routine elevator maintenance and as needed repairs to 35 elevators at various City facilities.

• The City Council authorized the City Manager to enter into a contract with Hunter Consulting, Inc. dba HCI Environmental & Engineering (HCI Environmental) for on-call biohazardous waste cleanup for an amount not-to-exceed $55,000 (which includes a $5,000 contingency to provide for any necessary change orders.) for a period of two years, whichever occurs first. The City Manager would also be authorized to extend the contract for up to three additional one-year periods, each in an amount not-to-exceed $27,500 (which includes a $2,500 contingency to provide for any necessary change orders), at the discretion of the City Manager, provided any increases do not exceed the increase in the change in the Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County consumer’s price index for the preceding 12-month period. The maximum contract term is five years and a total not-to-exceed contract value of $137,500.

• A contract with Western Water Works Supply Company in an amount not to exceed $7,500,000 for five years to furnish and deliver miscellaneous water utility materials for the Water and Power Department. PWP uses a variety of water utility materials and other supplies for routine maintenance, repairs, and capital improvements to Pasadena’s water distribution system. The PWP Materials Warehouse maintains a limited inventory of these materials and is replenished on a regular basis depending on the extent of material used for emergency repairs and routine maintenance.

• 710 stub report. The City continues to make progress on the State Route (SR) 710 Northern Stub Relinquishment process. In January 2021, the City completed a Technical Feasibility Analysis and a supplemental traffic analysis to determine the technical feasibility of converting the existing SR-71O/SR-134/I-210 freeway-to-freeway interchange into a local street network with connections to 1-210 and SR-134. Following the completion of the Technical Feasibility Analysis, a supplemental analysis was conducted, at the request of Caltrans, which provided a detailed assessment of ramp queuing and weaving along multiple sections of the SR-134 and 1-210. This technical work provided a more granular understanding of the anticipated traffic conditions with the removal of the SR-710 stub and connector roads. With the supplemental traffic analysis completed, the process has now transitioned into the next phase- the relinquishment process. The development of a relinquishment agreement between the City and Caltrans is underway as are key agency briefings to ensure key parties are aware of the progress being made.

• A contract with PFM Financial Advisors LLC for three years in an amount not to exceed $150,000 with two optional one-year extensions not to exceed $50,000 each, subject to the approval of the City Manager. PWP requires the services of an Independent Registered Municipal Advisor (“IRMA”) to act as an objective financial advisor and economic market expert to provide advice and assistance on existing and new debt issuances, financing structures, and timing of debt issuance; including but not limited to pricing, call provision options, and rating agency strategy. The IRMA is also expected to provide support services to coordinate the administration and issuance of debt. The services include communication with rating agencies, coordination with bond and tax counsel in advance of securities offerings to ensure acceptance of the financing structure and to deliver an unqualified opinion and tax certificate, and assist in negotiations with bond insurers and/or letter of credit providers. These services require an IRMA to perform as a fiduciary with the required registrations and certifications of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.

• Recognize and appropriate $260,650 to the public health department’s fiscal year 2022 operating budget related to three new grants; add 3.25 limited-term grant-funded FTEs.Throughout the fiscal year, budget amendments are necessary to account for unanticipated changes to the adopted budget. The proposed budget amendments are a result of grants awarded to the Public Health Department after adoption of the budget.