City Council Agenda Report
Meeting Date: August 4, 2026
From: Brian Saeki, City Administrator
Department: City Administration
Submitted by: Sara Sandoval, Management Analyst
Subject
Report on Emergency Sewer Repairs for City Housing Approved by the City Administrator Recommendation
Receive and file the report regarding emergency sewer main line repairs affecting City-owned housing completed by Quality Jet Rooter, Inc., as approved by the City Administrator pursuant to Vernon Municipal Code Section 3.32.250.
Background
On June 10, 2026, while performing routine maintenance to clear a sewer blockage affecting two City-owned homes on Fruitland Avenue, the Department of Public Works and its maintenance contractor, Quality Jet Rooter, Inc. (Jet Rooter), discovered a collapsed main sewer line caused by a broken pipe. Because the sewer service lines from the two affected homes merge into a single line before connecting to the City's sewer main, the failure impacted sewer service to both residences.
Due to the immediate threat to public health and the potential for continued disruption of essential utility services, emergency repairs were necessary. Jet Rooter completed the replacement of the failed sewer line from the property connections to the City's sewer main and installed new cleanouts to improve future maintenance access and reduce the likelihood of future blockages.
Jet Rooter currently provides routine plumbing maintenance services for City Hall and City-owned housing under Contract No. 20260037; however, the existing contract is limited to routine maintenance with an annual not-to-exceed amount of $5,000 and did not cover the emergency repair work. The emergency nature of the repairs required immediate action and qualified for the emergency procurement exception under Vernon Municipal Code (VMC) Section 3.32.250 which states: “In case of an actual emergency which requires immediate purchase of supplies, equipment, or services to address an immediate and unforeseen risk to health, life, property or the environment, or for emergency work to restore or prevent an imminent and unforeseen failure of utility service, the City Administrator may secure, without competitive bidding, at the lowest obtainable price, any supplies, equipment, or services regardless of the amount of the expenditure.” The sewer repair work performed by Jet Rooter consisted of like-for-like replacement of approximately 30 linear feet of sewer line, hydraulic trench shoring required for worker safety, steel traffic plates for public safety, hauling of excavated material and debris, and slurry backfill and asphalt restoration. The cost for the emergency repairs on Fruitland Avenue totaled $21,875 including all labor and materials for the sewer repair and cleanout installations.
This report is being provided to City Council pursuant to VMC Section 3.32.250, as emergency purchases approved by the City Administrator require that a report detailing the circumstances of the emergency work be provided to the City Council.
Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 4: Enhance Community Infrastructure and Facilities Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact is not-to-exceed $21,875. Sufficient funds were available in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 General Fund, Public Works, City Housing, Repairs and Maintenance Account No. 011- 040-410-529000.
Attachments
None.