PREPARED BY: Tyler Thomas
Superintendent
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Administrative Services Director, and Parks and Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/02/2026
ITEM NO: 5
ADDENDUM
DATE: May 29, 2026
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Chris Constantin, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Authorize the Town Manager to Execute a First Amendment to Agreement for On-Call Arborist Services With Dudek, Increasing Compensation by $58,000 for a Total Not-to-Exceed Amount of $157,000
Remarks:
Attachment three contains Exhibit A for the First Amendment to the Agreement for Services.
Attachments:
1. First Amendment to Agreement for Services
2. Agreement for Services and Exhibit A
Attachments received with this addendum:
3. Exhibit A for the First Amendment to the Agreement for Services This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Tyler Thomas December 22, 2025
Town of Los Gatos
41 Miles Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Dear Tyler Thomas,
This letter outlines the scope of services and provides cost and turnaround-time estimates for on-call arborist services for the Town of Los Gatos (Town). Dudek’s Oakland office has three full-time arborists available to support the town with on-call services. Jeremy Cawn, an ISA Certified Arborist/Urban Forest Professional, will serve as the project manager and primary point of contact for on-call services. Jeremy will be supported by Drew Morgan, Jonah Malenfant, and Jared Davis, all of whom are ISA Certified Arborists.
Scope of Services
Based on our experience in other Bay Area cities and the information provided by the Town, we anticipate offering the following services:
Tree Permit Application Review
Dudek Arborists will review tree permit applications and process the applications using the Town’s permit management system. Our review will comprise a brief review of the application for completeness and inspection of the tree and property. Dudek will use the established tree-removal permit criteria in the Town’s municipal code or a Town standard to determine whether a permit application is approved. After the determination is made, Dudek will prepare either the tree permit or the denial form and upload it into the Town’s permit management system. Dudek will also update the permit status/workflow in the Town’s permit management system.
Plan Review and Comments
Dudek will review and provide comments for new development projects where protected trees are present and have the potential to be impacted by the development. Dudek’s review of project submittals will comprise a desktop analysis of project plan sets and documents. The desktop analysis will be followed by a visit to the site.
The intent of the desktop analysis and site visit is to confirm that the project submittals are accurate and contain the information required in the Town’s municipal code for new development near protected trees. After our review is complete, Dudek will prepare a comment document that briefly describes the project and the protected trees, and then provide our comments on the completeness of the project submittals and the Town Arborist's conditions of approval. We understand that some projects will go through several submittal rounds before approval. Dudek Arborists will be available to evaluate resubmittal documents and determine if our comments are addressed and our conditions of approval have been met.
EXHIBIT A
TO: TOWN OF LOS GATOS
SUBJECT: ON-CALL ARBORIST SERVICES COST PROPOSAL
2 Tree Risk Assessment
Dudek’s Oakland and Santa Cruz offices have a combined three Tree Risk Assessor Qualified (TRAQ) certified arborists who are available to evaluate trees and tree risk, and prepare an ISA Tree Risk Assessment to inform the Town about the risk a tree presents to nearby assets. The typical tree risk assessment includes a visual inspection of the tree from the ground, which can include limited light excavation around the base of the trunk.
After the assessment is complete, Dudek will prepare a short report that summarizes the results of the assessment and will include the ISA tree risk assessment form and representative photos of the tree and the site.
Service Request
We understand that the Town will, from time to time, receive requests from residents and Town staff to evaluate trees on private and public property. Dudek Arborists are available to assist the Town with these service requests.
In our experience, these service requests typically involve evaluating trees to address a specific concern, such as clearance above roadways, risk of falling branches, disease or pests, etc., and then providing management recommendations. Dudek arborists would evaluate the tree(s) described in the service request by performing a visual inspection of the tree from the ground. After the evaluation, we would perform any relevant desktop analysis, such as reviewing tree maintenance records. We will then prepare a short report with a summary of the tree and site, and our recommendations.
Code Enforcement
Dudek can assist the Town code enforcement and planning staff with code violations related to protected trees, with the preparation of tree appraisal reports to establish a value for trees that were destroyed and a depreciated value for trees that were damaged. Additionally, Dudek can provide recommendations for replacement species, size, and quantities for destroyed trees to assist the Town in providing mitigation measures. Finally, a Dudek TRAQ arborist can prepare a tree risk assessment to support the Town staff’s decision to retain or remove trees that were damaged due to code violations.
Public Projects
Dudek can support the Town’s public works department during street and sidewalk replacement projects by evaluating trees near proposed work areas for construction impacts and providing construction monitoring and root pruning guidance during construction. A Dudek arborist would work closely with public works staff to determine the scope of the project and which trees would be potentially impacted by the proposed work.
Depending on the Town staff's needs, a Dudek arborist would be available to visit the project site prior to the start of the work to evaluate potential impacts to nearby trees and provide protection recommendations. Additionally, Dudek would work with Town staff to have an arborist on-site during construction to evaluate tree roots within the work area and provide guidance to Town staff regarding acceptable root pruning for trees identified for preservation or tree removal if impacts are anticipated to be significant. Dudek would provide the Town with a written summary of our evaluation and recommendation after each site visit.
TO: TOWN OF LOS GATOS
SUBJECT: ON-CALL ARBORIST SERVICES COST PROPOSAL
3 Cost Estimate and Schedule
We understand that the Town anticipates up to 15 hours per week of on-call arborist work, with a cost not to exceed $99,000. Dudek would perform the on-call arborist duties for the Town for the duration of Dudek’s UFMP project, which is scheduled to conclude in December of 2027.
The tables below present the hourly rates for the Dudek arborists assigned to the on-call arborist role, along with an estimated cost to perform the services described above. We bill on a time and materials basis; the cost estimates in Table 2 are based on the level of effort it takes to complete a similar service with our existing on-call arborist contracts. The cost estimate includes a site visit, mileage, and office time.
Table 1 Hourly Rates for Dudek Arborists
Dudek Arborist Hourly Rate
Jeremy Cawn, ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, Urban Forest Professional $ 205.00 Jonah Malenfant, ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, $ 165.00 Jared Davis, ISA Certified Arborist, TRAQ, $ 165.00
Drew Morgan, ISA Certified Arborist $ 145.00
Table 2 Estimated Costs to Perform the On-Call Arborist Services Service Type
Estimated
Level of
Effort
(hours) Jeremy Cawn
Jonah
Malenfant Jared Davis
Drew
Morgan
Tree Removal Application
Review
1.5 $ 382.50 $ 322.50 $ 322.50 $ 292.50
Tree Risk Assessment 3.5 $ 792.50 $ 652.50 $ 652.50 $ 582.50 Plan Review/Plan Comments 4 $ 895.00 $ 735.00 $ 735.00 $ 655.00 Service Request 3 $ 690.00 $ 570.00 $ 570.00 $ 510.00
Code Enforcement 6 $ 1,305.00 $ 1,065.00 $ 1,065.00 $ 945.00 Public Projects Arborist Support 3.5 $ 792.50 $ 652.50 $ 652.50 $ 582.50
We will work to complete any assigned tasks within the Town’s established timetables or within the timeline given to us by town staff. If we are unable to meet the town’s timeline for an assignment, we will notify our Town point of contact (Tyler Thomas) of the delay.
Sincerely,
____________________________________
Jeremy Cawn
Fire Prevention Planner