HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 2506-4872CITY OF PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Council Chambers & Hybrid
5:30 PM
Agenda Item
15.Approval of Seven (7) On-Call Consulting Contracts to Provide Planning Application
Processing and Supplemental Staffing for the Planning and Development Services
Department over a Five-Year Term, as needed: 1) Arnold Mammarella, Architecture +
Consulting, 2) CTC Media Group INC., 3) Good City Company 4) Metropolitan Planning
Group, 5) Michael Baker International Inc., 6) Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., 7) Urban
Planning Partners Inc. in the Amount not to exceed $2,000,000 ; CEQA Status: Not a
Project. Public Comment, At Places Memo
Item No. 15. Page 1 of 2
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City Council
At Places Memo
From: Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director
Meeting Date: June 17, 2025
Item Number: 15
Report #:2506-4872
TITLE
Approval of Seven (7) On-Call Consulting Contracts to Provide Planning Application Processing
and Supplemental Staffing for the Planning and Development Services Department over a Five-
Year Term, as needed: 1) Arnold Mammarella, Architecture + Consulting, 2) CTC Media Group
INC., 3) Good City Company 4) Metropolitan Planning Group, 5) Michael Baker International
Inc., 6) Stantec Consulting Services, Inc., 7) Urban Planning Partners Inc. in the Amount not to
exceed $2,000,000 ; CEQA Status: Not a Project.
BACKGROUND
Staff would like to provide additional information regarding the planning on-call consultant
contracts for Council consideration. The use of on call professional services offers a flexible
solution to the highly variable demand for processing planning applications. Approval of these
contracts will ensure continuity of services and allow the City to efficiently adjust staffing levels
based on fluctuating workload, current staffing levels, economic conditions, and required
technical expertise. Through the use of professional consultants, the Planning and Development
Services Department balances the organization’s financial health and operational flexibility to
avoid overstaffing for variable application volume and specialized technical needs. Currently,
the use of these contracts serves two main purposes for the Current Planning program:
Supplemental Staffing
In FY2026, the Current Planning program includes funding for seven planner positions and
approximately $200K for consultant planners for application processing. As of this report, the
team has a vacancy rate of 43%, with 3 out of the 7 positions vacant. While the Department is
actively recruiting, consultant planners are critical to maintaining timely application processing
to meet state mandated deadlines for housing and other applications and provide full-time
counter services. Examples of projects that are supported by consultant planners include Major
Architectural reviews, Stanford Shopping Center and Town and Country applications, Individual
Review (IR) applications, building permitting processing support, and counter services. When
vacancies occur, the Department may request salary savings and use additional contract
capacity to augment staffing levels for continuity of business.
Item No. 15. Page 2 of 2
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Technical Expertise/Lack of In-House Experts
Rather than staffing for specialized planning expertise, the City relies on outside technical
experts – such as architects and Radio Frequency analysis engineering – to provide these
services because it is cost effective and scalable. The FY2026 Current Planning program budget
also includes approximately $200K for technical services, with the majority dedicated to staff
support and consultation provided by Arnold Mammarella for individual review application
processing. Staff plan to use CTC and Stantec to provide wireless expertise for radio frequency
analysis to analyze wireless communication facilities applications.
If the contracts are not approved, beginning July 1st, both staff and applicants will be
significantly impacted, resulting in application processing delays and further strain on in-house
staffing capacity. Additional impacts include:
•Individual review applications will not be processed as the City lacks an in-house
architect to evaluate for consistency with IR guidelines and provide guidance to
applicants on design modifications to meet the IR guidelines.
•Planning will need to reduce counter services to meet with applicants.
•Timelines from request to completion of final inspections will increase.
•Timely completion of building permit review, particularly for single family homes and
retail uses.
Lastly, from a contract capacity perspective, approximately $400K is budgeted annually
between supplemental staffing and specialized expertise. The recommended contracts
therefore reflect a $2.0M contract capacity over a five-year term. Staff intends to return to
Council for additional authorization if and when the contract needs exceed this initial estimate.
It is also notable that the $2.0M request does not account for potential annual cost increases or
the possible further usage of consultants to support staffing vacancies.
Overall Consultant Management
Beyond this specific set of contracts, staff has initiated an overall review of consultant
management practices. An initial discussion with the City Council’s Policy and Services
Committee occurred in May, and the City Manager intends to bring this issue to the full City
Council for discussion in August. If Council subsequently determines that changes are needed in
some or all of the contracts, the contract terms will allow the City to accommodate that
direction.
APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director