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Page 1 of 2 Item #6 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT February 6, 2024 Public Works - Operations Division TITLE: APPROVE THIRD AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT WITH WEST COAST ARBORISTS, INC. TO INCREASE THE NOT-TO-EXCEED AMOUNT BY $100,000 FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023/24 FOR TREE MAINTENANCE SERVICES SUMMARY The City’s urban forest is comprised of more than 26,000 trees located in parks, medians, and municipal building landscapes that require ongoing upkeep and maintenance. In October 2020, the City entered into a three-year agreement with West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA) for tree maintenance, consulting, and as-needed services with an option to extend the agreement for two additional one-year terms. The original annual amount for FY 2023/24 was amended to increase the not-to-exceed amount by $28,014 (the local consumer price index) to a new total of $695,014. Staff now recommends an amendment to the agreement with WCA by increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $100,000 for FY 2023/24 for a total not-to-exceed amount of $795,014. The request is to ensure adequate funds are available to complete tree pruning services as needed for upcoming street resurfacing work and to process Heritage Tree Removal Permits in a timely manner while continuing the routine tree pruning that maintains the health and safety of the urban forest. WCA provides on-call certified arborist support services for the Heritage Tree program and performs regular reviews of complex Heritage Tree Removal Permits with City staff. RECOMMENDATION Authorize the City Manager to amend the maintenance and as-needed agreement with West Coast Arborist, Inc. by increasing the not-to-exceed amount by $100,000 to $795,014 for FY 2023/24 (to June 30, 2024). BACKGROUND The City currently has a contract with WCA to perform various tree services, primarily consisting of tree pruning and tree and stump removal throughout the city in the public right-of- way, street medians, municipal building landscapes, and public parks. Regularly scheduled tree pruning reduces citizen complaints and the number of tree emergencies during storm events. WCA also prunes trees for road resurfacing projects and provides consulting services primarily for reviewing Heritage Tree Removal Permits. In winter 2023, the City experienced several severe storm events that resulted in more than $149,000 in emergency tree work performed by WCA. As a result of the storm response tree work and associated costs, the City suspended routine tree pruning by WCA for approximately six weeks in FY 2022/23 due to a shortage of funding for the contract. Page 32 of 554