Agenda Item: 8
CITY OF SANTA CLARITA
AGENDA REPORT
CONSENT CALENDAR
CITY MANAGER APPROVAL:
DATE: November 26, 2024
SUBJECT: CITYWIDE TREE MAINTENANCE AND INVENTORY CONTRACT DEPARTMENT: Administrative Services
PRESENTER: Andrew Adams
RECOMMENDED ACTION
City Council:
1. Approve an increase, in the current Fiscal Year, of $325,320 to the existing West Coast Arborist, Inc. contract for a total contract amount not to exceed $6,499,592.
2. Award a two-year contract to West Coast Arborists, Inc., beginning in Fiscal Year 2025-26, to provide tree maintenance services, for a total two-year amount not to exceed $6,700,548, plus up to three additional one-year renewal options beginning in year three, not to exceed the annual amount of $3,350,274, plus Consumer Price Index upon request of the contractor and approval of the City of Santa Clarita.
3. Appropriate a one-time amount, in the current Fiscal Year, of $90,000 from the Self Insurance Fund (Fund 721) to expenditure account 7212306-516101.
4. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2025-26, appropriate an ongoing amount of $99,684 from the Areawide Fund (Fund 367) and $73,270 from the Landscape Maintenance District Fund (Fund 357) to the expenditure accounts identified in Attachment A, totaling $172,954.
5. Appropriate a one-time amount of $109,250 beginning in Fiscal Year 2025-26, and an ongoing amount of $56,350, from the Hart Park Fund (Fund 140) to expenditure account 1402401-516101 for the care of trees at Hart Park.
6. Appropriate an amount of $30,000 from the Oak Tree Preservation Fund (Fund 406) to expenditure account 4062401-516101 beginning in Fiscal Year 2024-25 through Fiscal Year 2026-27.
7. Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute all contracts and associated documents subject to City Attorney approval, contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal years.
BACKGROUND
The City of Santa Clarita (City) performs proactive, routine maintenance on an urban forest comprising approximately 115,000 trees. Approximately half of these trees are funded by Landscape Maintenance Districts (LMD), with the remainder supported by the General Fund.
Proactive maintenance enhances the health and vitality of the City’s trees, while mitigating risks such as large branch failures or full tree collapse due to age, drought, or extreme weather events.
West Coast Arborists, Inc. (WCA), the City’s current tree maintenance contractor, is under contract through June 30, 2025. In addition to routine services—proactive pruning, emergency response, tree plantings, and removals—WCA also supports various City projects, such as the Annual Reforestation Program, the Annual Concrete Rehabilitation Program, and the Annual Overlay Programs. West Coast Arborists, Inc. also assists with ongoing tree inventory efforts, with approximately 45,000 trees still to be inventoried as of October 2024.
To adequately facilitate the remaining tree maintenance activities in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25, including the completion of the tree inventory efforts, staff recommends increasing the contract authority to the current WCA contract by $325,320, bringing the total not to exceed contract amount to $6,499,592. Of this amount, $235,320 will support ongoing maintenance activities, including proactive pruning, oak tree preservation measures, emergency responses, and assistance with the aforementioned City projects. The remaining $90,000 will fund the completion of the tree inventory, which will enhance the City’s ability to address problematic trees, respond to tree-claim discovery requests, and track maintenance history. To further support this effort, staff successfully negotiated a reduction in inventory fees from $4 per tree to $2 per tree. Due to the risk related benefits associated with completing the inventory expeditiously, staff recommends a one-time appropriation of $90,000 from the Self Insurance Fund (Fund 721) in FY 2024-25.
Looking beyond June 2025, City staff has evaluated methods to meet the City’s future tree maintenance needs. Staff recommends a piggyback approach, leveraging the City of Victorville’s recent competitive procurement process, which awarded WCA a contract similar in operational scope to the City’s current contract. Through negotiations, staff secured a more competitive pricing model than that awarded to Victorville, effective July 1, 2025, and locked in for the first two years. This negotiated pricing represents only a 6.31 percent increase —requiring an appropriation of $172,954 annually beginning in FY 2025-26—over the City’s current contract, nearly 1 percent below the projected Consumer Price Index increase for FY 2025-26. The projected CPI increase of at least 7% accounts for the two-year freeze in CPI adjustments under the City’s current agreement with WCA, which maintained rates from FY 2022-23 through FY 2024-25. The City is authorized to piggyback onto Victorville’s agreement in accordance with the City of Santa Clarita Municipal Code (SCMC) § 3.12.270(E). This allows the City to leverage a contract established through a competitive process previously conducted by another public agency. A copy of Victorville’s staff report approving the contract is attached for reference.
Therefore, staff recommends awarding a new contract to WCA, effective July 1, 2025, to manage the City’s tree maintenance activities. The initial contract term will be two years, for a total amount not to exceed $6,700,548, with three, one-year renewals, each not to exceed an annual amount of $3,350,274 plus CPI upon request of the contractor and approval of the City.
The proposed agreement with WCA outlines a comprehensive plan for Citywide tree maintenance, detailing budget allocations, service expectations, and competitive pricing comparisons. West Coast Arborists, Inc. will prune approximately 17,500 trees annually.
Alongside scheduled pruning, WCA will respond to Resident Service Center requests, support Citywide reforestation, assist organizational projects, and address tree-related emergencies as needed, including necessary removals. Additionally, WCA provides a web-based system to track work orders, project budgets, and individual tree maintenance histories.
Benchmarking against other municipalities, the City’s recommended contract with WCA proves cost-competitive. For example, in 2024, the City of Lancaster awarded a tree maintenance contract averaging $105 per tree for pruning, and Ventura’s similar contract averaged $140 per tree. In contrast, the City’s average price per tree under the proposed WCA contract will be $93.
Additionally, as the City assumes ownership and operation of Hart Park in FY 2025-26, it will undertake the maintenance of approximately 1,315 trees within the Park, particularly in high- traffic areas and near structures. A one-time appropriation of $109,250 is proposed for FY 2025- 26 to address immediate pruning needs for 600 trees and the removal of about 30 compromised trees. Starting in FY 2026-27, an ongoing appropriation of $56,350 will support continued maintenance of trees within Hart Park. These budget allocations align resources with the City’s expanding tree maintenance needs, and the addition of Hart Park to the City’s responsibilities.
Lastly, staff requests an annual appropriation of $30,000 from the City’s Oak Tree Fund for FY 2024-25 through FY 2026-27, totaling $90,000 over three years. Per the Oak Tree Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 17.51.040), these funds support oak tree preservation and regeneration, heritage oak identification, purchasing, monitoring, and maintaining oak trees, as well as educational programs on oak preservation. This appropriation will enable WCA to conduct oak tree pruning, disease diagnosis, pest management, and reforestation efforts under current and future contracts.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION
Other action as determined by the City Council.
B
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended actions require a one-time appropriation of $90,000 in the current fiscal year from the Self Insurance Fund (Fund 721), and an annual appropriation of $30,000 from the Oak Tree Preservation Fund (Fund 406) beginning in FY 2024-25 through FY 2026-27. Beginning in FY 2025-26, ongoing appropriations of $99,684 from Areawide Fund (Fund 367); $73,270 from
Landscape Maintenance District Fund (Fund 357); and $109,250 ($52,900 one-time and $56,350 ongoing) from the Hart Park Fund (Fund 140). Remaining funding for future fiscal years is contingent upon the appropriation of funds by the City Council in the annual budget for such fiscal year. Cumulatively, if approved, the total available budget for WCA services will be $3,055,148 effective FY 2025-26.
ATTACHMENTS
City of Victorville Award to WCA
Santa Clarita - Price Schedule 2025-27
Attachment A