HERCULES CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. 25-XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF HERCULES AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH RAIMI + ASSOCIATES FOR AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $1,561,243 TO PREPARE A COMPREHENSIVE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND APPROVE AN APPROPRIATION OF $261,243 FROM THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE FEE FUND WHEREAS, California state law requires each city and county to adopt a General Plan to express the community’s development goals and policies, and; WHEREAS, state guidelines call for the General Plan as a whole to be periodically updated, and; WHEREAS, the Hercules General Plan Economic Development, Land Use, Open Space & Conservation, and Noise Elements are over two decades old and do not reflect current land uses, available development sites, market conditions, regional plans, noise levels, or growth forecasts, nor the dissolution of redevelopment agencies statewide in 2012, and; WHEREAS, the Hercules General Plan Open Space & Conservation Element is required to be updated by two recent state laws and should be updated to reflect the 2024 Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan, and; WHEREAS, extensive text amendments have been made to some elements over the years, including through the Waterfront Now! Initiative in 2008, but the elements themselves were never revised to incorporate these amendments, and; WHEREAS, updating the General Plan is needed to fulfill the Council’s strategic goals of developing comprehensive Land Use and Economic Development Strategies, and; WHEREAS, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires government agencies to consider the environmental consequences of their actions before approving plans and policies or committing to a course of action on a project. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the General Plan was prepared in 1995, and; WHEREAS, the proposed General Plan update presents an opportunity to prepare a new EIR that will reflect current laws and guidelines and provide the City with an additional increment of growth capacity for the next housing cycle, and; WHEREAS, staff issued a request for proposals for the General Plan update on June 18, 2025 and received eight (8) proposals from highly qualified teams of consulting firms. A staff review panel reviewed the proposals and recommended three (3) firms for interviews. Virtual and in-person interviews were held with the finalist teams in August 2025. The team led by Raimi + Associates was selected, and the scope and budget were finalized in consultation with staff, and; WHEREAS, the City’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget includes an initial appropriation of $1.3 million from the General Plan Update Fee account for this project, and the remaining $261,243 is recommended to be appropriated from the same account. The fund currently maintains a sufficient cash balance to support the proposed additional appropriation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Hercules as follows:
The City Council hereby authorizes the City Manager to execute an agreement with Raimi + Associates in a form substantially similar to Exhibit A to provide professional consulting services to prepare a comprehensive General Plan Update and Environmental Impact Report.
The City Council authorizes the appropriation of $261,243 and the expenditure of an amount not to exceed $1,561,243.
The foregoing Resolution was duly and regularly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Hercules held on the 14th day of October, 2025 by the following vote of the Council:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
____________________________
Dion Bailey, Mayor
ATTEST:
________________________________
Eibleis Melendez, City Clerk
Exhibit A: Professional Services Agreement