Staff Report
City Council
Item No. 3.E
Meeting Date: May 13, 2026
From: John A. Corella, Director of Public Works
Title: Amendment No. 3 to the On-Call Agreement for Development Support Services between the City of Cathedral City and Christiansen & Company RECOMMENDATION:
For the City Council to approve Amendment No. 3 to the On-Call Agreement for Development Support Services between the City of Cathedral City and Christiansen & Company to continue providing engineering land development management support consulting services for one (1) additional year, in the not to exceed amount of $93,000 per year; and authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 3.
BACKGROUND:
On June 28, 2023, the City Council authorized an agreement with Christiansen & Company to provide on-call development management support services to assist the Engineering Division in addressing increased development activity.
On June 26, 2024, the City Council approved Amendment No. 1, extending the agreement by one (1) year and authorizing up to two (2) additional one-year extensions. On May 14, 2025, the City Council approved Amendment No. 2, exercising the first one-year extension.
The agreement provides professional services to support the city’s development review process, including managing development reviews; conducting technical reviews of development-related studies such as hydrology reports, water quality management plans (WQMPs), traffic studies, geotechnical reports, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood mapping; and oversight of the development and implementation of conditions of approval.
Christiansen & Company continues to support both pre-development and post-entitlement projects and has assisted in maintaining efficient processing of development applications, plan checks, and coordination between city staff and the development stakeholders.
DISCUSSION:
The city continues to experience a steady volume of development activity requiring engineering review and coordination. Christiansen & Company has provided critical support to the Engineering Division by delivering development management oversight, coordinating consultant plan check services, and improving processing timelines and communication with applicants.
The Land Development Engineer position, originally intended to provide in-house support for these functions, remained vacant and was subsequently eliminated as part of the FY 2025– 26 and FY 2026–27 biennial budget adoption. The cost savings associated with this position were reallocated to the Engineering Professional and Technical Services budget to continue funding on-call consulting services, including the Christiansen & Company agreement.
Continuing these services for one additional year is necessary to maintain current service levels and ensure timely processing of development projects. Christiansen & Company continues to provide effective and necessary support that enables the city to maintain efficient development review processes.
Amendment No. 3 represents the final one-year extension authorized under Amendment No.
1. As part of the next biennial budget cycle, staff will evaluate resource needs, including issuance of a request for proposals (RFP) for on-call development support services beginning in FY 2027–28 or reestablishing a full-time Land Development Engineer position.
In addition to the one-year term extension, Amendment No. 3 includes updates to several provisions of the Agreement to align with the city’s current standard professional services contract. These updates include revisions related to ownership of materials, standards of performance, confidentiality, and continuity of personnel, as well as the addition of a new data protection provision. Collectively, these updates clarify expectations regarding work products, performance standards, information handling, and data security, while maintaining consistency with the current city’s contractual requirements.
City staff recommend that the City Council approve Amendment No. 3 to the On-Call Agreement for Development Support Services between the City of Cathedral City and Christiansen & Company to provide engineering land development management support consulting services for one (1) additional year, in the not to exceed amount of $93,000 per year; and, authorize the City Manager to execute Amendment No. 3.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The not-to-exceed amount for Amendment No. 3 is $93,000. Funding is currently budgeted in the Engineering Division Professional and Technical Services account (100-100-150-156- 8600-8601) and included in the city’s FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27 Biennial Budget.
City staff will use the hourly rates and unit prices established in the agreement to develop task orders for specific services required. The total costs and funding sources for each task order will be identified at the time of issuance. City Council approval, if required, will be obtained prior to issuing a notice to proceed when task order costs exceed the Public Works Department purchasing guidelines requirements.
FISCAL YEAR DESCRIPTION
GENERAL
LEDGER
ACCOUNT
CODES
PROJECT
CODE AMOUNT ONE TIME or
ONGOING
2026-2027
On-Call
Development
Support
Services
100-100-150-
156-8600-8601
ENG- PROF
SVCS $93,000 One Time
2026-2027 Total $93,000
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal C: Fiscal Stability and Sustainability
Objective: Cathedral City has economically prospered by facilitating the investment of private dollars in high quality development which benefits the community. We remain financially solvent by instituting prudent fiscal policies and transparent fiscal practices.
Action C-2: Develop an inventory of contract services that are due for bid and request proposals.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Amendment No. 3 to City’s On-Call Agreement for Development Support Services with Christiansen & Company