RESOLUTION NO.
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF COTATI CITY COUNCIL APPROVING THE
PURCHASE OF WATER FILLING STATION EQUIPMENT, APPROVING THE
APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS FROM THE WATER ENTERPRISE UNENCUMBERED
BALANCE FOR THE WATER FILLING STATION, AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY
MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE PURCHASE AGREEMENT AND ANY OTHER
NEEDED EXPENSES UP TO THE AUTHORIZED AMOUNT
WHEREAS, as the owner and operator of a public water system, the City provides construction water to contractors, and construction water is provided by lending contractors a hydrant meter, collecting a security deposit, and charging the contractors for water used; and WHEREAS, the process of providing hydrant meters involves many steps, is labor intensive, and inefficient and an alternative approach to this practice has been identified and is projected to significantly reduce staff time and increase City control of this operation; and WHEREAS, an alternative approach to providing construction water by way of individual hydrant meters, is to use a self-service water filling station which dispenses water after the user provides a code on a keypad and pays for a certain amount of water; and WHEREAS, the filling station dispenses the water, and the transaction is complete, and only contractors which have registered and have paid fees on-line will be issued codes to be accepted by the self-serve filling station; and
WHEREAS, the data for the transaction is kept track of by a Cloud based application and includes the transfer of funds from the contractor to the City, and the water would be charged in accordance with the quantity charge specified by City resolution as is the current practice; and
WHEREAS, use of a Water Filling Station avoids the problems from the current practice, for example, having a predetermined location avoids stirring up sediment in the pipe as the City will ensure this hydrant and the surrounding pipelines are adequately flushed or cleaned ahead of operation, and the regular use as a water filling station will prevent sediment from accumulating; and
WHEREAS, also, the staff time to process the provision of construction water is reduced and frees up staff for more critical City processes, and missing or lost hydrant meters and their replacement would no longer be a problem as the City would not make hydrant meters available; and
WHEREAS, the Water Filling Station is the only such unit manufactured in the US and Staff recommends purchasing the unit as sole source since the manufacturer is uniquely qualified; and
WHEREAS, the manufacturer has stated the delivery time, once ordered is 8 to 10 weeks, and, upon delivery, the City would inspect the unit for damage then install it, along with connecting to City water, solar power, and configuring the payment software; and WHEREAS, the payment software would be leased for a monthly fee, and the Water filling station would be located entirely in City right of way behind the sidewalk with trucks to use the existing parking lane while using the filling station.
WHEREAS, the proposed Water Filling Station, including the hardware, one-year Cloud Hosting subscription, payment software (Portalogic), Warranty and IT support for 2 years, training on the software, and solar package is to cost $39,255; and WHEREAS, City Public Works Staff is proposed to do the installation and Administrative Services train in using the software; and WHEREAS, total City labor costs are estimated at $12,000 which is include in the proposed budget as the labor would be completed by current staffing levels, and the proposed FY23/24 budget includes $75,000 for this effort to account for extra contract services if necessary; and
WHEREAS, funds from the Water Enterprise unappropriated fund balance would be encumbered in the remaining months of FY22/23 for this effort with most of the funds encumbered in FY23/24; and
WHEREAS, this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it is not a project which has a potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment, pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the City of Cotati City Council determines:
1. The purchase of the Water Filling Station equipment from Elemech, Inc. for an amount of $39,255, is approved, and
2. Appropriation of unappropriated Water Enterprise funds in the amount of $75,000 is approved for the Water Filling Station Equipment and ancillary costs for making it fulling operational, and
3. The City Manager is authorized to approve purchases of the Water Filling Station, software, training and any other needed expenses for full operation of the Water Filling Station up to the approved project amount.
IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the foregoing resolution was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Cotati held on the May 9th, 2023, by the following vote, to wit:
Approved:________________________________
Mayor
Attest:____________________________
Kevin Patterson, Deputy City Clerk
Approved as to form:
____________________________
City Attorney