PISMO BEACH CITY COUNCIL STAF REPOR
Agenda Item #9.I
Meetin Date: u ust 4, 2026
TITLE:
Amendment #6 to the Agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. for Environmental Services Related to the Central Coast Blue Project
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment #6 to the agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $20,713 in fiscal year 2027 for environmental services related to the Central Coast Blue Project and extending the term of the agreement to September 30, 2027.
DISCUSSION:
Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon) is currently providing environmental consulting services to the City for the Central Coast Blue (CCB) project. The original contract with Rincon, approved by staff on March 17, 2025, was in the amount of $55,953. Since then, five contract amendments have been executed, as summarized below:
1. $4,512 for additional outside agency coordination/support;
2. $9,003 for Biological Assessment;
3. $10,000 for preparation of responses to comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment and Biological Assessment;
4. $8,914 for preparation of an updated Monarch Butterfly Survey;
5. Time extension of the original March 17, 2025 contract from December 31, 2025, to September 30, 2026.
Amendment 6 to the Rincon contract adds work scope to continue supporting the City in coordinating with United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) on completing its environmental compliance obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act. The amendment also includes preparation of a design-level California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) memorandum addressing how the design-level concept for the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project is covered by the 2021 Final Environmental Impact Report and 2023 Addendum.
Conclusion and Recommendation
As work on the CCB project progresses, additional environmental services are needed to ensure CEQA and NEPA compliance for the various project components. Staff recommends that the Council adopt a resolution (Attachment 1) authorizing the City Manager to execute Amendment #6 (Attachment 1.A) to the Agreement with Rincon Consultants Inc., which will allocate additional funding in the amount of $20,713 for these services.
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-1
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of adopting the resolution approving Amendment #6 with Rincon Consultants Inc. is $20,713 in the FY 2027 Central Coast Blue project professional services account budget, allocated 33%, or $6,835, to the Water Enterprise Fund and 67%, or $13,878, to the Wastewater Enterprise Fund, for a total contract amount of $109,095. There is sufficient budget in the FY 2027 Water and Wastewater Enterprise Funds’ Central Coast Blue project professional services accounts to support this cost.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution
2. Amendment #6
Submitted by:
Scot Graham, Community Development Director
City Manager Approval:
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-2
RESOLUTION NO. R-2026-XXX
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PISMO BEACH, CALIFORNIA AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AMENDMENT #6 TO THE AGREEMENT WITH RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC. IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,713 IN FISCAL YEAR 2027 FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES RELATED TO
THE CENTRAL COAST BLUE PROJECT AND EXTENDING THE TERM OF THE AGREEMENT TO SEPTEMBER 30, 2027
WHEREAS, the City entered into an agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. on March 17, 2025 in the amount of $55,953 for environmental services associated with the Central Coast Blue (CCB) project; and
WHEREAS the City has executed 5 amendments to the original March 17, 2025 contract extending the contract to September 30, 2026 and adding the following services: 1. additional outside agency coordination/support, 2. adding a biological assessment, 3. preparation of responses to comments on the draft Environmental Assessment and Biological Assessment, and 4. preparation of an updated Monarch Butterfly Survey for a total additional cost of $32,429; and
WHEREAS, the CCB project continues to progress, and additional environmental services are needed to continue supporting the City in coordinating with United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) staff on completing its environmental compliance obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act; and
WHEREAS, additional environmental services are needed to ensure NEPA and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) compliance for various project components; and WHEREAS, the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Water and Wastewater Enterprise Funds’ Central Coast Blue project professional services account budget has sufficient funds to support these services; and
WHEREAS, amendment of the current contract with Rincon Consultants to provide additional environmental services in support of the CCB project is necessary to allow the project to proceed.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of Pismo Beach hereby authorizes the City Manager to execute Amendment #6, in substantially the form attached to staff’s report dated August 4, 2026, to the agreement with Rincon Consultants Inc. for environmental services associated with the Central Coast Blue project in an amount of $20,713 in FY 2027, for a resulting contract total of $109,095.
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-3
Attachment 1
UPON MOTION OF Council Member , seconded by Council Member , the foregoing resolution was adopted by the City Council of the City of Pismo Beach this 4th day of August 2026, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
RECUSED:
Approved: Attest:
________________________ ________________________
Ed Waage, Mayor Erica Inderlied, City Clerk
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Pismo Beach, California, on _______________________. ________________________
Erica Inderlied, City Clerk
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-4
Attachment 1
AMENDMENT # 6
to the
MARCH 17, 2025 AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF PISMO BEACH AND RINCON CONSULTANTS, INC.
Pursuant to the March 17, 2025 Agreement for Professional Services between the City of Pismo Beach, hereinafter referred to as “City,” and Rincon Consultants, Inc., hereinafter referred to as “Vendor,” City and Vendor hereby agree as follows:
1.Additional services shall be performed as set forth in the proposal dated June 22, 2026, which is attached hereto and by this reference made a part hereof.
2.Compensation for and timing of the additional services shall be as set forth in the referenced proposal. Compensation for the additional services shall not exceed the amount of twenty thousand seven hundred and thirteen dollars ($20,713.00), without prior written approval of the City.
3.The revised fee under the March 17, 2025 contract, plus this addendum, is one hundred and nine thousand and ninety-five dollars ($109,095.00).
4.The term end date of the agreement is hereby revised to September 30, 2027.
5.All other provisions of the subject agreement between City and Vendor shall remain in full force and effect.
CITY:
City of Pismo Beach, a Municipal Corporation
Signed:
Name: Scot Graham
Title: Community Development Director
Dated: ________________________________
Signed:
Name: Jorge E. Garcia
Title: City Manager
Dated: ________________________________
ATTEST:
Signed:
Name: Erica Inderlied
Title: City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Signed:
Name: Dean J. Pucci
Title: City Attorney
VENDOR:
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Signed:
Name: ________________________________
Title: _________________________________
Dated: ________________________________
Address for giving notice:
(if changed from prior agreement)
______________________________________
______________________________________
Email address for official communications:
(if changed from prior agreement)
______________________________________
Vendor Representative:
(if changed from prior agreement)
Name/Title: ____________________________
Attachment: Scope/Cost Proposal
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-5
Attachment 2
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
1530 Monterey Street, Suite D
San Luis Obispo, California 93401
805-547-0900
w ww.rinconcons ultan ts.com
June 22, 2026
Rincon Project No. 15-01882
Scot Graham, Community Development Director
City of Pismo Beach
760 Mattie Road
Pismo Beach, California 93449
Via email: [email protected]
Subject: Additional Services Request #3 for the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project, Pismo Beach, CA
Dear Mr. Graham:
Rincon Consultants, Inc. (Rincon) is submitting this proposal to augment our existing scope of work under Purchase Order 2080 (dated March 21, 2025 and amended in May 2025, July 2025, October 2025, and April 2026) for providing environmental consulting services for the City of Pismo Beach’s (City) Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project (project). The following presents our additional scope of work and cost estimate to continue supporting the City in coordinating with United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) staff on completing its environmental compliance obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and National Historic Preservation Act and in preparing a memorandum to address the design-level concept for the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 project.
Additionally, Rincon requests an extension to the term end date of the March 17, 2025, Agreement for Professional Services between the City of Pismo Beach and Rincon Consultants, which was previously revised by amendment (Amendment #5) to extend the term end date of the Agreement to September 30, 2026. Rincon respectfully requests that the agreement is extended further, to September 30, 2027, to allow adequate time for Rincon to complete the Design-Level CEQA Memorandum once the 60 percent design plans are completed.
Additional Scope of Work1
Task 27 Additional Federal Environmental Compliance Support Task 27.5 Additional USBR Coordination and FONSI Support Rincon’s current scope of work included preparation of an updated Cultural Resources Assessment for compliance with California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), NEPA, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requirements. Our scope of work assumed responses to one round of United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) comments on the original Cultural Resources Assessment, which was completed in July 2025 and resubmitted to USBR in August 2025. Following that submittal, USBR requested an additional round of revisions, which Rincon accommodated within the remaining budget from Task 25, Optional Task 27.1, and Task 27.4. Rincon then submitted the updated Cultural Resources Assessment on April 23, 2026, and USBR is currently in the Section 106 consultation process with the State Historic Preservation Officer. Rincon has fully expended our originally budgeted hours for the Section 106 Cultural Resources Assessment due to coordination with 1 Task numbering has been continued from our current scope of work, which includes Tasks 23 through 27 with Tasks 27.1 through 27.4.
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-6
Attachment 2
City of Pismo Beach
Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project
2 USBR staff and additional rounds of revisions to the Cultural Resources Assessment beyond our original scope of work.
As a result, under this task, Rincon will provide up to 16 additional hours of as-needed agency coordination support to fulfill future requests from USBR pertaining to the environmental documentation, which may include attendance at virtual meetings with USBR and/or State Historic Preservation Officer staff. This task is intended to provide adequate coordination to finalize the Section 106 Cultural Resources Assessment and achieve a Finding of No Significant Impacts to conclude NEPA compliance efforts with USBR.
Task 28 Design-Level CEQA Memorandum
Based on a meeting between Rincon, the City, Water System Consulting (WSC), and GHD Group on June 4, 2026, the City indicated it is currently soliciting Requests for Proposals for design/build of the project and directed Rincon to prepare a memorandum for the project to evaluate how the design- level concept for the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project is covered by the programmatic analysis in the 2021 Final EIR and 2023 Addendum, including a discussion of applicable mitigation measures and how the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 project has fulfilled or will fulfill applicable mitigation requirements.
To provide a clear chain of CEQA documentation from the Central Coast Blue project concepts analyzed in the 2021 Final EIR and 2023 Addendum to the current design-level Central Coast Blue Phase 1 project, Rincon will prepare a Design-Level CEQA Memorandum which will evaluate how the design- level concept is covered by the 2021 Final EIR and 2023 Addendum. The memorandum will include a robust project description with up to two figures prepared by Rincon to show the project’s extent and design and will discuss the relationship between the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 project and the 2021 Final EIR and 2023 Addendum. In addition, the memorandum will include a discussion of applicable mitigation measures and how the Central Coast Blue Phase 1 project has fulfilled or will fulfill applicable mitigation requirements. Rincon will respond to one round of consolidated comments on the Design-Level CEQA Memorandum (assumed to be consolidated comments from WSC and the City), to be provided in editable electronic format (i.e., as tracked changes in Word) and incorporate revisions as needed.
Deliverables
Draft and Final Design-Level CEQA Memorandum
Task 29 Management of Tasks 27 and 28 and Meeting Attendance Under Task 29, Rincon will provide project management for Tasks 27 and 28. Rincon anticipates that, as design/build of the project progresses, additional coordination calls between Rincon, WSC, GHD, and the City will be required to keep updated on project progress and advise on environmental compliance requirements. Therefore, under this task, Rincon will attend up to six additional coordination calls (estimated at one hour each) to ensure regular communication and status updates.
Rincon anticipates that, as design/build of the project progresses, additional coordination beyond the core meetings will be required to stay informed of project developments and to advise on environmental compliance requirements. As such, this task includes additional hours to account for ongoing project coordination activities.
Assumptions
This additional services request incorporates the following assumptions:
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-7
Attachment 2
City of Pismo Beach
Central Coast Blue Phase 1 Project
3 All comments made by the City and WSC will clearly indicate the requested changes. The City and WSC will be responsible for reconciling conflicting comments prior to sending to Rincon. Further rounds of review or additional comments may result in an additional scope and cost. The State Historic Preservation Officer will concur with USBR’s determination provided within the Cultural Resources Assessment and will not provide substantial comments or requests for additional research or fieldwork. Substantial comments and requests for additional research or fieldwork may require a change order.
Task 28 will not proceed until the design/build team has completed 60 percent design. No substantial design changes will occur (e.g., location changes or expansion of impact areas) once the project is at 60 percent design. Substantial changes to project design once Task 28 is underway may require a change order.
Facilities part of the design-level project will remain in the same locations as identified in the Paleontological Resources Assessment (May 2025), Biological Resources Assessment (June 2025), and Cultural Resources Assessment (May 2026) reports prepared for the project. All deliverables will be provided electronically; no hard copies will be provided. Addressing comments from the City and WSC on all deliverables will not require additional, new analysis or field investigation.
This scope of work does not include any filing of CEQA notices with the State Clearinghouse or the San Luis Obispo County Clerk.
This scope of work does not include provision of support related to acquisition of a coastal development permit or environmental regulatory permits (if necessary). This scope of work (from Notice to Proceed to submittal of the final invoice) will not extend past September 30, 2027.
Cost
The estimated cost to complete the additional scope of work outlined above is $20,713, which would increase our existing budget from $88,382 to $109,095 in accordance with Rincon’s standard fee schedule. Rincon’s standard fee schedule includes an annual 3.5 percent escalation in hourly rates that take effect on January 1 of each year.
The proposed scope of work is fully negotiable to meet the needs of the City. This offer for professional services will remain in effect for a period of 30 days from the date of this proposal. All work would be conducted in accordance with Purchase Order 2080. If you have any questions regarding this proposal, please contact Ethan Knox at 805-738-3555 or [email protected].
Sincerely,
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Ethan Knox
Environmental Planner
Jennifer Jacobus, PhD
Principal
Attachment 1 Fee Schedule
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-8
Attachment 2
Attachment 1
Fee Schedule
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-9
Attachment 2
Rincon Consultants, Inc.
Effective January 1, 2026
Standard Fee Schedule for Environmental Sciences and Planning Services Senior Principal $342 $354 $366
Principal $329 $341 $353
Director $329 $341 $353
Senior Supervisor II $313 $324 $335
Senior Professional I $255 $264 $273
* Professional classifications include environmental scientists, urban planners, biologists, geologists, marine scientists, GHG verifiers, sustainability, cultural resources, GIS, data technology, and other professionals. Expert witness services consisting of depositions or in- court testimony are charged at the hourly rate of $400.
Reimbursable Expenses
Equipment Rate
Equipment Package (covers field equipment) $150/day
UAS Drone $300/day
Boat (20-foot Boston Whaler or Similar) $800/day
4WD and Off-Road Vehicles* $150/day
* Current IRS mileage rate for mileage over 50 and for all miles incurred in employee-owned vehicles.
Direct Costs. Other direct costs associated with the execution of a project, that are not included in the hourly rates above, are billed at cost plus 16%. These may include, but are not limited to, printing and production, laboratory and drilling services, subcontractors, vendors, authorized travel expenses, permit charges and filing fees, mailings and postage, performance bonds, sample handling and shipment, rental equipment, and vehicles other than covered by the above charges.
Budget Reallocation. Rincon reserves the right to reallocate the budget between tasks and staff classifications, while remaining within the approved contract amount.
Annual Escalation. Standard rates subject to 3.5% annual escalation on January 1.
Payment Terms. All fees will be billed to Client monthly and shall be due and payable upon receipt or as indicated in the contract provisions for the assignment. Invoices are delinquent if not paid within 10 days from receipt or per the contractually required payment terms.
Council Agenda 8-4-2026 9.J-10
Attachment 2