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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9998 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9998 No To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 21, 2017 Page 1 of 2 ItVA 1675 SUBJECT: UPDATE ON MOWING SERVICES The purpose of this Informal Report is to apprise the City Council of service delivery improvements which have been implemented in the mowing program managed by the Park and Recreation Department for the 2017 growing season. Background The Park and Recreation Department (PARD) manages contract mowing for 1 ,524 locations which include: 1,391 acres of parks, 162 miles of traffic dividers (medians), 362 miles of right-of- ways and 222 corner clips (intersections). The PARD also maintains 369 acres of properties occupied by city departments including Information Technology, Library, Police, and Transportation and Public Works. In Calendar Year 2016 the Customer Care Call Center recorded 793 calls for service for the PARD. The call load came primarily in the five months May-September (486/793 or 61%); over half (404 or 51%) of the calls were received in the four month period from May-August; and almost a third of the calls (230 or 31%) were received in the months of May and June. The spike in calls can be attributed to the following factors: deferment of seasonal start date (budget cost savings), 21 day mowing cycles for traffic dividers (budgeted service standard), a wet spring, contractor termination due to non-performance, extended times between mowing cycles at the end of growing season during normally dry months (budget cost savings) and above average rainfall in late summer. As reported to the City Council in October 2016 (I.R. 9947), in an effort to improve conditions on traffic dividers and ROW's, the PARD conducted an assessment of the contract mowing program. The objective was to enhance service delivery effectiveness in order to realize improved conditions throughout the growing season. As a result, seasonal start and end dates and mowing frequencies have been adjusted, traffic divider mowing contracts were re-bid and contract compliance and expectation measures have been implemented. Mowing Season Start/End Dates The contract mowing season which typically begins the first week of March commenced two weeks earlier on February 20, 2017. This includes all traffic dividers, parks and city properties. The mowing of corner clips and ROW's (which are maintained on a monthly basis in accordance with budget standards) began on March 1 - one month earlier than previous years. The earlier beginning of season start and extended end of season through November is projected to incur an additional expense of $158,000. INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 9998 4 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council March 21, 2017 Page 2 of 2 ItVA 1675 SUBJECT: UPDATE ON MOWING SERVICES Mowing Frequency for Traffic Dividers (Medians) In prior years the majority of service complaints have related to the high grass conditions on traffic dividers/street medians. To address these conditions, mowing services have been increased from a 21 day cycle to a 14 day cycle. This service level improvement will incur an additional cost of $189,000. Contract Rebid Cost Increases This year traffic divider mowing contracts were re-bid and cost increases over previous contracts amounted to $130,000. The increase is reflective of increased cost of mowing such as labor, insurance and equipment. Contract Inspections and Accountability PARD contract staff met with each mowing contractor to review contract terms, performance expectations and possible actions if expected performance is not achieved. Contractor performance will be addressed by adding seasonal employees to increase field inspections, maintain completion sheets and monitor schedules and complaints. The goal is to schedule inspections within 3-4 days after receiving notice of completion by the contractor. In addition, contractors are currently expected to address performance callbacks within 48 hours and submit photographic evidence. However, any future contracts will include stronger compliance language including the 48 hour call-back requirement. These actions will result in a performance score card for each contractor that will be used to determine future contracts. Budgeta�Considerations The total budget impact for FY2017 is projected to be $477,000 which the department will endeavor to absorb in its current budgetary appropriation. The City Manager's Office will monitor the expense with the fiscal month six financial forecast and recommend necessary adjustments in the General Fund as appropriate. During the FY2018 budget development process the PARD will work with the Budget Management Office to determine the level of appropriations necessary to permanently implement the mowing changes listed above including start and end dates, mowing frequency for traffic dividers and compliance, inspections and performance monitoring. If additional information or clarification is needed, please contact Richard Zavala, Park and Recreation Department Director or Susan Alanis, Assistant City Manager. David Cooke City Manager