STAFF REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
DATE: Regular Meeting of October 14, 2025
TO: Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Dante Hall, City Manager
SUBMITTED BY: Timothy Rood AICP, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Professional Services Agreement for General Plan Update RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Approve a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute a professional services agreement with Raimi + Associates for a sum not to exceed $1,561,243 to prepare a comprehensive General Plan update.
BACKGROUND:
Since 2022, the Council has received annual progress reports on the City’s General Plan. These reports have highlighted the fact that many of the General Plan elements, as well as the related environmental documents, are extremely out of date and require updating to clearly reflect the City’s vision and current conditions and to comply with many new state laws. On March 25, 2025, the Council received the 2024 General Plan Annual Progress Report and discussed the proposed General Plan update process and timeline.
ANALYSIS:
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. The team includes subconsultants specializing in economic analysis (Strategic Economics), transportation and circulation planning (Fehr & Peers), environmental analysis (Rincon Consulting), and civil engineering (BKF Engineers).
In addition to being highly qualified, with many examples of innovative and award-winning General Plans, the Raimi + Associates team also displayed a high level of familiarity with the history and current conditions in Hercules.
Following the staff presentation, Raimi + Associates’ Principal-in-Charge, Ron Whitmore, and Project Manager, Mitali Ganguly, will present highlights of the consultant team’s qualifications and approach to the update process. Staff and consultants will then be available for questions.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed project budget of $1,561,243 includes a $50,000 contingency for unanticipated work that is authorized by the City. The City’s adopted Fiscal Year 25-26 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 this appropriation.
The General Plan Update Fee account is funded by a surcharge on building permits and is designated for the purpose of maintaining and updating the General Plan. These funds cannot be used for any purpose other than updating the General Plan.
Accounting Information
(Finance Department Use Only)
Description: General Plan Update
Funding Source: General Plan Update Fee (Account #267-5235-611.91-00) Budget Recap:
Total Estimated cost: $1,561,243 New Revenue: N/A
Amount Budgeted: $1,300,000 Lost Revenue: N/A
New funding required: $261,243 New Personnel: N/A
Council Policy Change: Yes No
ATTACHMENTS:
Attach 1 - Resolution
Attach 2 - Professional Services Agreement
Attach 3 – Consultant Presentation – General Plan Update