REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning and Development Department BY: SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Planning Manager Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Actions pertaining to the Climate Adaptation and Environmental Justice Planning: 1. ***RESOLUTION Adopt the 3rd Amendment to the Annual Appropriation Resolution No. 2023-185 to Appropriate $650,000 from unspent FY 2023 General Fund Appropriations for General Plan Climate Adaptation and Environmental Justice Planning Consultant Services (Requires 5 Affirmative Votes) (Subject to Mayor's Veto) 2. Approve a consultant services agreement with Dudek for professional services related to Climate Adaptation and Environmental Justice Planning in the amount of $650,000. ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council authorize the City Manager or designee to sign the consultant services agreement with Dudek for professional services related to the Climate Adaptation and Environmental Justice Planning EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The City Council approved budget motions in the previous fiscal year in the amount of $650,000 for climate adaptation and environmental justice planning in order to update the General Plan. The procurement process was not completed until the current fiscal year. This report summarizes the consultant selection process and general scope and terms of the agreement. BACKGROUND Since the adoption of the Fresno General Plan in 2014, various state laws have been enacted that require general plan updates. Among those are SB 379, which requires climate adaptation planning for safety elements, and SB 1000, which requires environmental justice planning to be incorporated either as a new separate general plan element or integrated across all general plan elements. There is overlap in these planning areas, so a combined scope of services was developed to procure a consultant that has expertise in both areas. The City conducted a Request for Qualifications process in which the RFQ was posted on Planet Bids, a notice was published in the Business Journal, and the city's standard consultant distribution process was used. Seven Statements of Qualifications were received. An interdepartmental staff committee reviewed and scored the proposals and interviewed the top two firms. Dudek was determined to be the most qualified firm based on their experience completing combined climate adaptation and environmental justice planning .work in several California cities, including Rialto, Indio, Bakersfield, Highland and Yolo County. In addition, they have urban forestry expertise, which is an important climate adaptation tie-in, and they are currently under contract with the City for an Urban Forestry Management Plan. Finally, their depth in overall planning experience is an asset, as Dudek brings expertise in general plan updates, housing elements, and the California Environmental Quality Act. They also scored well in on-time performance. Their scope includes outreach, vulnerability assessments for both climate adaptation and environmental justice, a capability assessment, which analyzes the city's existing policies and organizational structure in order to ensure efficient implementation, climate adaptation and environmental justice plan reports, and a climate action assessment of the City's 2021 Climate Action Plan. Details are included in the attached contract and scope. The target completion date shown in the schedule is December 2024, however the term of the contract is June 30, 2025, to allow opportunity for additional assistance as the City integrates the results of their work into a general plan update. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS N/A LOCAL PREFERENCE Dudek has 12 offices in California, with their Bakersfield location being the closest to Fresno. While local community organizations may be subcontracted to assist with outreach, the firm itself is not local per the requirements of FMC Section 4-109. FISCAL IMPACT Funding source, an AAR is attached. ATTACHMENTS: Exhibit A - Consultant Services Agreement Exhibit B - Annual Appropriation Resolution