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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 336-10TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: CITY MANAGER DATE: AUGUST 2, 2010 CMR: 336:10 REPORT TYPE: CONSENT SUBJECT: Approval of Amendment to Contract with Downtown Streets Team to Add $69,888 for Additional Janitorial Services for the City's Five Downtown Parking Garages for' a Total of $107,744 for One Year; Adoption of a Budget Amendment Ordinance to provide appropriations of $69,888 within the Special Revenue Parking District Fund for Additional Janitorial Services for the City's Five Downtown Parking Garages RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the City Council: 1. Approve an amendment to the City's existing contract with the Downtown Streets Team to add $69,888 for increased janitorial services for the City's five downtown parking garages ending August 15, 2011 for a total amount of $107,744; and 2. Adopt a Budget Amendment Ordinance to provide appropriations of $69,888 within the Special Revenue Parking District Fund, increasing the existing Downtown Streets Team Contract and additional janitorial services at the five downtown parking garages. BACKGROUND The downtown business district must be maintained in a safe, clean and appealing manner. Downtown Palo Alto attracts visitors, shoppers, diners, employees and local residents who expect a positive experience when using downtown services. Not only is cleanliness an important civic priority, it is essential to maintaining a healthy and vital economic environment which continues to generate healthy tax revenues. Cleanliness of the City's parking garages remains an issue in spite of on-going City efforts. Staff receives feedback from garage users and downtown stakeholders indicating substandard conditions of cleanliness. City staff has worked with the Chamber of Commerce Parking Committee to investigate ways to increase security and cleanliness to meet the expectations of downtown users. CMR: 336:10 Page 1 of3 After over a year of discussions with stakeholders, a combination of services is recommended to raise the standards of cleanliness and security. Because the downtown parking district provides its own dedicated revenue stream, it is possible to provide or offset costs for increased services through the parking assessment district. Approximately three years ago, the City terminated its private security contract in downtown parking garages at approximately $170,000 per year because staff concluded it was largely ineffective in addressing the security and cleanliness concerns downtown, especially in the parking garages. Cancellation of the private security contract provides the City with the opportunity to redirect these funds to more effective services. This contract amendment is part of a multi-pronged approach aimed at significantly raising downtown standards. Other measures currently or soon to be implemented are increased police presence and increased social services. The combination of increased security, frequent cleaning and outreach to unhoused individuals is expected to produce visible results. Another area of enhanced downtown services is direct outreach to homeless individuals in the parking garages. As the Council is aware, the Downtown Streets Team is a program aimed at reducing homelessness by modeling positive behavior among the homeless· population. As a result, many Downtown Streets Team participants, once homeless, are housed and are in a unique position to provide outreach to currently homeless individuals to discourage inappropriate behaviors particularly in the parking garages. Downtown Streets Team has proposed adding outreach and counseling services for the 2011 fiscal year. The proposed $20,112 is separate from the subject of this report and is within the City Manager's financial authority, therefore not requiring Council Approval. DISCUSSION The proposed contract increases the current 20 hours per week to a total of 112 hours per week for all five parking garages in two shifts - 6 am to lOam and 9 pm to 1 am, seven days a week. The shifts were selected to increase presence during the evening and early morning hours and to ensure cleaning occurs prior to employees arriving. The City currently pays $37,856 for the 20 hours per week. With the amendment the City will pay $107,744 for 112 hours per week of cleaning services. The contract will be extended for one year to August 2011 at which time Staff will evaluate the effectiveness of the increased cleaning services. RESOURCE IMPACT The downtown parking assessment district revenues are held within the Special Revenue, Special Districts Fund, whereby cleaning and maintenance services are reimbursable through permit fees charged in the downtown parking assessment district area. The appropriation for the increase in this contract will be paid for from district revenues, resulting in reduced retained earnings and impact to the Special Districts Fund reserve, and will not require use of General Fund resources . . CMR: 336:10 Page 2 of3 PREPARED BY: CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: ATTACHMENTS - JAMES KEENE City Manager Attachment A: Amendment to Contract with Downtown Streets Team , Exhibit A to Attachment A: Downtown Streets Team Amended Scope of Services Attachment B: Budget Amendment Ordinance CMR: 336:10 Page 3 of3 Attachment A ~ NO.1 TO AGREEMENT NO. Sll137328 BETWEEN THE CITY OF PALO AL~O AND DOWN'tOWN STREETS INCORPORATED This Amendment No. 1 to Agreement No. S11137328 ("Agreement") is entered into August 2, 2010, by and between the CI,;[,Y OF PALO ALTO ("CITY"), and DOWNTOWN STREETS INCORPORATED a Services Provider located at Palo Alto, California (rrCONTRACTOR tr ). R E CIT A L S: WHER~AS, the Agreement was entered into between the parties for the provision of services to clean and beautify Downtown along University; and WHEREAS, the parties wish to amend the Agreement; NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, terms, conditions, and provisions of thi~ Amendment, the parties agree: 1. TERM OF AGREEMENT. The Term of the agreement is hereby I . I . extended from June 30, 2011 to ~ugust 15, 2011. ! I 2. SCOPE OF WORK. Scope of work is amended to reflect increase services to be provided by DownTown Streets Incorporated. Specifically, CONTRACTOR shall supply 4 Team members to work. 7 days a week in 2 different shifts. These team members will clean in accordance Greenwaste of Palo Alto Contraot Amendment 1 1 with Exhibit A all five City garages in downtown Palo Alto in two-person teams from 6 a.m.-10 a.m. and 9 p.m.-1.a.m., seven days a week. 3. COMPENSATION. Compensation for this agreement will increase $69,888, from $37,856 to $107,744. Except as herein modified, all other provisions cjf the Agreement, including any exhibits and subsequent amendments thereto, shall remain in full force and effect. Greenwaste of Palo Alto Contract Amendment 1 2 IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have ~Y their duly authorized representatives executed this Amendment on the date first above written. APPROVED AS TO FORM: Senior Asst. City Attorney APPROVED: City Manager Director of Administrative Services Greenwaete of Palo Alto Contract Amendment 1 DOWNTOWN STREETS INCORPORATED BY:~ Name: Ef~~· llUtAilJ)~{)tJ Title: Pftl1/W 3 EXHIBIT A ~IDOWttTOWtt ~5TREET5 TEAM Garage Cleaning Services Proposal Submitted to the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Parking Committee By Downtown Streets Team June 23, 2010 Problem- Despite the cities current efforts to maintain safe, clean and appealing garages in our downtown district, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce Parking Committee has voiced a concern that garages are not only serving their intended purpose. The Downtown Streets Team. (DST) affirms that the garages are still dirty and have become temporary shelter for our community's homeless population. Due to these problems, the garages do not serve as an inviting parking solution for those working in, or visiting downtown Palo Alto. What We Know- Security guards have proved to be ineffective in addressing this problem. They have no authority to ticket trespassers or arrest those drinking in public. In addition, they do not solve the issue of cleanliness in the garages. Lastly, they have no on-site supervision and provide no alternative to the homeless sleeping in the garages. The Palo Alto Police Department has committed to addressing the committee's concerns by staffing two officers to patrol the downtown area on bicycles. While law enforcement has proved to be effective in temporarily ridding the garages of loiterers and those sleeping there, a long-term impact can only be reached with a combined 'carrot and stick' approach. Using the "stick" alone will not solve the problem long term. It is DST's belief that ticketing and then subsequently arresting the homeless people in the garages will only remove them for one night and will not provide a long-term alternative to sleeping in the garages. Most importantly, DST will clean the garages while employing those who were formerly causing the unclean conditions. Downtown business is sure to suffer if the parking garages become infamous for homeless camps, defecation, public alcohol consumption, and urban decay. DST was founded by the Palo Alto BID in the hopes of reducing panhandling and to clean downtown's streets. The following proposal asserts our plan to take our proven model into the garages and further clean and beautify downtown Palo Alto and further remove people from our streets. Proposal- As defined in proposal # A-S4D7, DST would 'hire' 4 team members to work 7 days a week in 2 different shifts. These team members would clean 'all five garages in downtown Palo Alto in two-man teams from 6am-lOam and 9pm-l am, seven days a week. These hours were selected in order to encounter, and deter, sleeping in garages. In order to successfully fulfill the vision of the Parking Committee, we need both the carrot (DST) and the stick (law enforcement). The corresponding financial proposal would cover the cost of the plan outlined within this proposal. DST hopes the chamber will choose to grant funds in the amount of $69,888 to provide janitorial services in Palo Alto's parking garages. ORDINANCE NO.xxxx ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO AMENDING THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 TO PROVIDE APPROPRIATIONS OF $69,888 WITHIN THE SPECIAL REVENUE PARKING DISTRICT FUND FOR ADDITIONAL JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR THE CITY'S FIVE DOWNTOWN PARKING GARAGES. The Council of the City of Palo Alto does ORDAIN as follows: SECTION 1. The Council of the City of Palo Alto finds and determines as follows: A. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 12 of Article III of the Charter of the City of Palo Alto, the Council on June 28, 2010 did adopt a budget for Fiscal Year 2011; and B. The downtown business district is served by five parking garages throughout the downtown area; and' C. There is an ongoing concern by the Chamber of Commerce Parking Committee, downtown stakeholders, and garage users pertaining to parking garage cleanliness, and D~ Janitorial services for the parking garages are contracted with the Downtown Streets Team which provide 20 hours of cleaning per week; and E. To increase cleanliness within the downtown parking garages, staff proposes an increase in janitorial services to 112 hours, two shifts from 6am to lOam and 9pm to lam 7-days per week; and F. City Council authorization is needed to amend the Fiscal Year 2011 budget for appropriation of $69,888 (Sixty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight Dollars) to increase the contract with Downtown Streets Team, providing additional janitorial services for the City's five downtown parking garages. SECTION 2. The sum of $69,888 (Sixty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight Dollars) is hereby appropriated to Contract Service expenses in the Special Revenue Parking District Fund, and the corresponding reserves will be reduced in the Special Revenue Parking District Fund. SECTION 3. The Special District Fund Reserve is hereby decreased by the sum of $69,888 (Sixty Nine Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight Dollars). As a result of this change the Special District Fund Reserve will be reduced from $876,000 to $806,000. SECTION 4. As specified in Section 2.28.080(a) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, a two-thirds vote of the.City Council is required to adopt this ordinance SECTION 5. The Council of the City of Palo Alto hereby finds that this is not a proj ect under the California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary. SECTION 6. AS.provided in Section 2.04.350 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code, this Ordinance shall become effective upon adoption. INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: ,NOES: ABSTENTIONS: ABSENT: ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: City Attorney APPROVED: Mayor City Manager Director Services of Administrative