REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL April 21, 2016 FROM: DANIEL ZACK, AICP, Assistant Director Development and Resource Management Department BY: SOPHIA PAGOULATOS, Planning Manager Development and Resource Management Department SUBJECT ..Title Approve the first amendment to the contract with Moore, Iacofano Goltsman (MIG), Inc., a California Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $17,000 for consulting services to complete the Housing Element ..Body RECOMMENDATION Approve the first amendment to the contract with Moore, Iacofano Goltsman (MIG), Inc., a California Corporation, in an amount not to exceed $17,000 for consulting services to complete the Housing Element and to authorize the City Manager or his or her designee to execute documents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Moore, Iacofano Goltsman (MIG), Inc. is the consulting firm that was retained in September of 2015 by the Development and Resource Management Department to assist staff in the preparation of the Housing Element. The original contract was in the amount of $50,000 and was approved administratively pursuant to Administrative Order No. 6-19. The contract amendment in an amount not to exceed $17,000 is now being requested for assistance in the final housing element certification process with the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). BACKGROUND The Housing Element is a required element of the General Plan and the only element that requires certification by a state agency, in this case the California Department of Housing and Community Development. The Housing Element update process kicked off at the community level in October 2015. At the same time, the housing element update relied upon the adoption of the Citywide Development Code and accompanying Zoning Map Update in order to provide the maximum amount of opportunity to encourage development of housing at a variety of densities and at various affordability levels. The final date for City Council adoption of the Housing Element is April 30, 2016, however certification by HCD can occur after that date with no penalty to the City. The City has worked cooperatively with HCD in every step of the housing element process. Due to it's complexity, it is possible that HCD will not be able to certify it prior to adoption by the Council (currently scheduled for April 21, 2016). The contract amendment is being requested in order to provide consulting services to help the City provide any additional analysis or information that may be necessary in order to allow HCD to certify the Housing Element. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS By the definition provided in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 the amendment of an agreement does not qualify as a "project" for the purposes of CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because this item is an amendment to an existing contract. FISCAL IMPACT No additional General Fund appropriations are required for this contract amendment. Attachment: Exhibit A-Contract Amendment