April 29, 2025
Agenda Item No. 7
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
David A. Webb, Public Works Director - 949-644-3311, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Kevin Pekar, Public Works Superintendent - 949-644-3069 [email protected] TITLE:
Approval of Amendment No. Two to Maintenance/Repair Services Agreement with Nature’s Image, Inc. (Contract No. 8537-1) ABSTRACT:
To enhance the City of Newport Beach’s hazardous fuel mitigation efforts and wildfire preparedness, staff requests City Council approval of an amendment to the City’s agreement with Nature’s Image, Inc. (Nature’s Image) for weed abatement and vegetation management services. If approved, the amendment would extend the term through April 22, 2029, increase the total not-to-exceed (NTE) contract amount by $2,334,050 to $4,868,983, and incorporate green-waste reporting requirements into the agreement.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
a) Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and b) Approve Amendment No. Two to the Maintenance/Repair Services Agreement with Nature’s Image, Inc. to extend the term through April 22, 2029, increase the not-to-exceed amount by $2,334,049.71, for a new not-to-exceed amount of $4,868,982.95, and incorporate green-waste reporting requirements, and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the amendment.
DISCUSSION:
Beyond ornamental landscape maintenance, the City also separately contracts with Nature’s Image for weed abatement and vegetation reduction/management services specifically to address fire hazardous fuels on City-owned lands, help protect the community from the potential threat of wildfire, and meet State of California standards.
Nature’s Image has provided the City with superior weed abatement and vegetation management services over the past six years, and staff from the Public Works Department and the Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division approve of the contractor’s performance. The original contract was competitively bid in 2019, and Nature’s Image had the highest scoring proposal overall, including the lowest cost proposal. Staff negotiated with Nature’s Image on the current proposed amendment, and Nature’s Image is not requesting additional increases to its current rates beyond the existing contractual Consumer Price Index increase of 2%.
To further enhance these services, staff requests that the City Council approve a contract amendment extending the City’s agreement with Nature’s Image through April 22, 2029, and increasing the agreement’s total NTE amount by $2,334,050 to $4,868,983. This increase in contract authority will also provide for an additional $250,000 worth of vegetation removal/management per year to reduce fire hazardous fuels on City properties. The proposed total NTE increase should sufficiently fund both historical work levels and the enhanced hazard mitigation services per year through the remaining contract term. This will enable the City to expand hazard-related vegetation management in current sites such as Buck Gully, as well as at sites with minimal previous mitigation, such as the City-owned area between Bonita Canyon Sports Park and Arroyo Park. The increased fuel reduction effort would begin this fiscal year.
These contract services are used to control and manage vegetation and habitat surrounding homes and open areas throughout the city. Along with vegetation clearance, trimming and weed abatement to reduce hazardous fuels, these services may also include erosion protection, slope stabilization, slope restoration and other activities that may be necessary to support hazardous fuel reduction activities. The agreement does not include any spraying of insecticides or herbicides, and is only for manual, hand-tool labor of weeds and other hazards, as per the City’s Integrated Pest Management Policy.
The amended agreement will also incorporate, at no additional cost to the City, necessary green-waste reporting requirements for the contractor to help meet State organic material recycling mandates.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed FY 2025-26 budget will include sufficient funds to sustain historical and enhanced service levels. Most services are expended to the Public Works Department Parks Hazard Mitigation account, 0108031-841055. Other departments occasionally utilize this contract for specific projects and fund those services through their own operating accounts.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENT:
Attachment A – Amendment No. Two with Nature’s Image
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Approval of Amendment No. Two to Maintenance/Repair Services Agreement with Nature’s Image, Inc. (Contract No. 8537-1)
April 29, 2025
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