Down at the City of Fresno’s Council meeting! Among the items is Mike Rhodes Day, Workshop (and probable vote) on replacing streetlight fixtures with LED fixtures using a PG&E zero interest loan. Also a workshop on Procurement by Finance Department. Workshop on Recycled Water. 
All Councilmembers are present (Welcome back from Montana @PaulCaprioglio ). Rev. Raygun Baker from Big Red Church gives Invocation. No items pulled from agenda. SPCA Of the Month by @District5Chavez
@District5Chavez giving Proclamation for Mike Rhodes. Chavez says you simply need to dedicate 30 years of your life to Fresno in order to get a Proclamation 😜 Rhodes grandson even named Fresno! Homeless advocate, Community Alliance newspaper,No stranger to City Hall.
@District5Chavez says he has no illusion that giving Mike Rhodes a Proclamation won’t stop Mike from beating up the Council. @Esmeralda_Soria thanks him especially with Community Alliance newspaper at this time where media is “Enemy of the People”. @ClintOlivier thanks Mike for
reaching out to @ClintOlivier “because Mike understands Libertarians. He is able to bring people together and make the tent bigger. Mike is fair, understanding , looking to achieve peace , protecting civil liberties “
Women’s Equality Day Proclamation by @Esmeralda_Soria This month in 1920 Women were given right to Vote. This allows women to serve on City Council and many other boards like Carol Mills. Group is working to have women on 50% of Boards by 2020.
Proclamation for a member of @Esmeralda_Soria staff Jorge Lopez who will be leaving soon.
Councilmembers Reports: @PaulCaprioglio had National Night Out at El Dorado Park. Fresno State says they were named one of the 100 best colleges by Money Magazine. Thanks PD Chief Dyer and rest of Council for getting bike patrol in District 4. Rule 20 situation near Save Mart.
@stevebrandau Marcus Lester passed away and would like adjourn in his honor. Worked with young people to see larger things and the world. @Esmeralda_Soria Yesterday Fatty Pizza opened on Shaw. Energy Efficiency resources available on her website. Hi-way City Community Resource
Groundbreaking as well as future library, health resources. First library west of 99. Workshopon Recycled Water begins: SMGA&_water budgets just passed on top of CEQA , EPA etc makes this imperative. Landscape and commercial uses with recycled water.
$40 million out of $160 million in 2019 for recycled water conveyance. SW Fresno project to cross High Speed Rail and 99 Freeway being built to Downtown Fresno. Construction to 2020. Water Master Plan being developed. Lots has changed from last Master Plan like meters, drought.
@Esmeralda_Soria asks if there is a financial advantage to using recycled water. Mike Carbajal says regulations are forcing this change but lots of uses for this like purple pipes for irrigation. Roeding Park Being irrigated this way. What is cost savings potable v recycled?
75 cents to a dollar. @District5Chavez says school sites could use these types of irrigation. Carbajal says talks are in the works as well as Cal Trans too. Significant upgrade in infrastructure to do this. Get properties ready to take on this type of water connections.
Difference between potable and recycled. Recycled is not drinkable. Can let recycled seep it into ground and then pump it back up and it is safe to drink. @PaulCaprioglio says Public Utilities is doing a good job and stay ahead of State regulations changes. 3-B to increase Clean
Water State Revolving Fund Low Interest for Southwest Recycled Water System at $70 million. The 1% interest loan is good deal says Carbajal. @stevebrandau asks if we got a loan and now asking for more? Carbajal says original was $52 million Much has been learned and SW needs
Increase of loan by $18 million (to take it up to $70 million) Huge savings by doing this now @stevebrandau asks what is cost to City by this increase. Assistant City Manager says this will be covered by current user rates. Passes 6-0 with Olivier absent.
Workshop on Procurement Practices by Finance Dept. Non professional services like janitorial (where they are not offering an opinion) v professional where they recommend policy to Council. Non-professional Services City given lots of discretion as to who gets contract. This
is an example with Bank of America and the discrimination they had in 1990’s and City can not use them if they see fit. Contract Compliance: monitors contracts of one year or more, as well as contract insurance and contract deadlines. Regulated Communications Ordinance that keeps
bidders and proposers from communicating with any elected official during procurement process. Elected Officials must disclose any contact within 24 hours. When to use Piggyback/Cooperative Contract. Example is restroom at Cary Park where no bids came in. Piggyback means com-
-petetive was done but at another level first like at State or Federal. This hopefully prevents sweetheart deals. Volume pricing helps reduce cost eg paper, desks, cars, motorcycles etc use Piggyback. Any cost over $135,000 has to go to Council even if it is via Piggyback.
If not Piggyback it goes back to Charter’s competitive bidding process. Requirement Contracts can help lock down pricing for a year. Can be either competitive bidding OR Piggyback method.
Sole Source or (Same Source ) used when their is only one vendor such as Cummings engine parts has to be from Cummings. City Manager has to approve Sole Source memo for approval.
Competitive Bids informal under $135,000 or formal which needs to go to City Council.
When are RFP’s used ? (Request forProposal ) A specific criteria must be met and not solely awarded on price alone. Generally RFP cannot be used for Public Works
When to use RFQs: unlike RFP doesn’t include cost. Qualifications is most important such as Consulting Services for DPU
Exceptions to RFQ/RFP: emergencies or uniquely qualified. Example is Body Cameras and Tasers for Police Dept
Development of RFP/RFQs takes 120 Days. May vary depending on complexity.
Consulting Contracts: Service contracts over $50,000 must go to City Council. City Manager can do those under.
25 mile radius from City Hall which (includes Madera) 50% goes to City of Fresno Limits and 18% to Madera etc. Pumping lots into local economy. we cannot buy everything local such as fire engines. If it is Federal dollars local preference cannot be used.
Ethical Considerations: Loking for Council advice on policies on future contracts.
Timothy Nolt :Public speaking on Air BnB. Says his neighborhood doesn’t allow commercial entities. Now he has Air BnB in area where property owner is not on site. More than allowed ten occupants has occurred with lots of vehicles. Will Council make codes like Clovis does?
@stevebrandau asks what is Air BnB codes that Clovis uses? @PaulCaprioglio asks for info on what Clovis does.
Workshop on replacing streetlight fixtures with LED. Public Works Scott Mozier These are unmetered flat rate streetlights. Why now? Quick return on Investments. Flexible funding swap. Measure C revenue allows flexibility.
This will be savings in gas tax but not general fund. Maintain current lighting coverage but may increase illumination in limited locations. Use maintenance savings for major repairs.
Take competitive from 3-bidders. Staring in 2026 a Annual has ongoing tax savings of $1.6 million. Savings pay for debt service. Can bypass competitive bidding when used for energy. Economy of scale from RFP for fixture procurement.
Past council meeting mentioned they want as much local workers used as possible. This will be memorialized in Contract State laws requires guarantee one year warranty. Flexibilty as to when that guarantee begins. High crime areas can have lights brightened. 8000 streetlights in
Clovis converted and no complaints from light coverage. @PaulCaprioglio said LED in El Dorado Park pilot project worked well in light coverage balance. CPU goals of reducing energy and this project will do this according to PG&E. Scott Mozier wanted to be conservative in order to
allow flexibility to increase lighting if necessary (and take more energy) but will meet $1.6 million but could be as high as $1.9 million savings and Return on Investment in under six years. @PaulCaprioglio asks that savings could be used for tree trimming. Gas tax Limits some.
Apple to Apple comparison as much as possible. PG&E is slightly cheaper $10.2m v $10.6 M and built one year earlier. Zero interest is game changer.
Cree Brand lights v GE light fixtures : Cree is type found in Clovis. Cree does better to illuminate sidewalks. Mozier: Next project with savings would be to develop/replace decorative light fixtures (perhaps like on Huntington Blvd??) Tree trimming taken in to account in order
in order to access fixture. @GarryBredefeld asks Tanko Representative to speak. Says Staff gave them decorative lights to convert but PG&E didn’t include. Says savings would be immediate and not have to wait 8 years with zero interest. Scott Mozier says Tanko didn’t interpret
the amount of fixtures given. Tanko says savings of $2.2 m up front. Tanko: If decorative lights are replaced with Cobra type the savings would be even more. @Esmeralda_Soria closing workshop and move to action item regarding this.
Mozier recommends PG&E Service Agreement. @GarryBredefeld asks Mozier where savings comes with PG&E: contingency v bid is where savings comes from. PG&E takes on City roles and saves City money. Financing is where tipping of scales comes from. Tanko rep says they would do same.
Tanko says can save up to $6 million Financing in Contract is placeholder and could find cheaper. Tanko has replaced lights in other cities especially in So Cal. Those cities thought it was conflict of interest for Southern Edison to do contract. PGE says they will have flex
-able wattage where needed. Fixtures can be shielded from home side if needed. Tanko still doesn’t feel it hasn’t been able to provide apples to apples. Asks why outside bidders not allowed to try? Sumpter says zero % deal , PGE fronting all costs, apples to apples matrix. 10%
contingency is required on all construction costs. Financing of 3% loan like Tanko would add $1 million to cost. (Tanko Rep really wants to comment!! )Deputy Assistant Manager Sumpter says this is best deal for City.
@Esmeralda_Soria calls for lunch break until 1:30.
Not quite Action shot of me down at City Council meeting !
Council meeting resumes after lunch break ( I am watching this online now). @OliverBaines feels this has been a disjointed process. He has met with the three entities (Tanko, PGE and staff). Feels Council is being left confused. Asked Mozier why we were Sole Sourcing this? Mozier
says No ( see my segment on Procurement earlier to know what sole sourcing). Are we Piggybacking? Mozier: not strictly. Sloan: Hybrid between normal procurement and a special state process. Baines: Has been competitive process? Competitive for fixtures. Cree one. Construction
contractors went out to bid as well. PG&E Rep says was out to bid twice. PG&E did the competitive bidding. Baines: is Tanko correct that this wasn’t competitive? Sloan: No. City can choose lowest bidder if it wants. Could Tanko have bid on this? Tanko Rep: not a contractor.
Tanko would subcontract it like PG&E does. This is California Sole Source Law. PG&E Reps: says it isn’t true Sole Source. Six years ago Procurement of 20 organizations whittled down to 3 contractors who gives quotes for these projects. Baines : If City did this how many contract-
-ors would City get bidding? Mozier: 5 or so. Baines: asks how many light vendors responded? 20 did. Alex from Tanko: Competitive process happened within PG&E. But prime contractors like Tanko, Simiens etc was not out out to bid but City just accepted recommendation by PGE.
Baines : competitive portion was lighting vendors but not at Prime Contractor Level. Also wants to have local workers used. PG&E Rep says all extra workers (Local 100) will come from local. Contractors will have their own workers too. Baines: Would using Tanko proposal give
savings earlier than PGE? Mozier: energy savings will be immediate under PGE too. Deputy Assistant City Manager agrees with that assessment. Tanko Rep: Yes, energy savings starts right away. But cost savings to City won’t happen for 6-7 years as upfront costs are being paid.
PGE says when it’s loan is paid off that is when City starts savings. Mozier: 35,400 lights but no decorative lights until separate project (2800 of these fixtures ). Cree is not prorated. Baines: CRI of Cree v others. 70 is standard Cree is that but can do 80 too. 100 is true
daylight as a baseline. Not a big issue for street lights. Baines: why not 80? A: Lose efficiency of 4-5% to go to 80. Baines: As a retired police officer colors is important but probably not for most. Baines: this was a competitive process. Wants to support this. Would like to
vet other lighting vendors too. Maybe an amendment needed. @ClintOlivier thanks PGE. Sloan says this is a public private agreement and State law for energy savings would apply. Typically used for solar projects. Olivier will cast a Friendly No.
Baines makes amendment: Final Contract isn’t ratified until Council can sign off on lighting contractor.@PaulCaprioglio wonders if this will delay process too much. Baines won’t support otherwise. Mozier: said there will be lots of fixture types. Sumpter asks clarifying to Baines
PG&E says it will delay project. If we re-open up to lighting vendors it gives red flags as there was a competitive process done. Master Services Agreement needs to signed first by City Manager. Baines doesn’t agree. Wants to keep door open. @GarryBredefeld is troubled by the
lack of RFP as PGE was given Sole Source. Perhaps Tanko would have given a better savings. Has trouble with process. Bredefeld makes Motion to amend put this out to RFP. Tanko Rep says there is a blueprint of RFPs out there. @stevebrandau says variety of fixtures exist depending
on neighborhood. Brandau would prefer to go with a private company usually but PGE gives a good offer. He is supporting this today. @PaulCaprioglio No quick and easy way to do this but he has been working on this for four years. Pilot project worked. Staff had done a good job.
Caprioglio will be in Favor. Out for public comment. Lighting contractor David Taylor says PGE does have a competitive process. Fixtures are high quality and safe. Cree Rep: we are a pioneer / leader in LED streetlights. EDC rep Will Oliver likes any consideration for local.
Baines says he wants to work with local suppliers even if that adds to two months to process. @Esmeralda_Soria makes her comments. Do we have any flexibility to delay? @MayorLeeBrand is ok with Baines’ request. Mozier: perhaps a percentage of fixtures could be guaranteed as from
local manufacturers provided they meet qualifications. @Esmeralda_Soria wonders if apprenticeships would be used? IW 100 Rep says Yes. @ClintOlivier are there any local firms make streetlights? No. @OliverBaines Administration is working on it. Bredefeld motion Fails. 2-5.
Main Motion : before an award to a lighting supplier Council has to vote in favor. PGE will agree with whatever fixtures Council agrees with providing turn key and zero interest is agreed upon today. Soria says this will save money, better illumination, local workers. A win-win.
Passes 5-2! Council adjourns in memory of Marcus Lester.
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