REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: SCOTT MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department BY: BRIAN E. RUSSELL, Assistant Director Public Works Department, Streets, Landscape, and Graffiti Divisions ERIKA PELAYO-LOPEZ, Community Coordinator Public Works Department, Landscape Maintenance Division SUBJECT ..Title Approve the First Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with Dudek extending the consultants performance period by three months to March 31, 2024, to continue professional services related to the development of the Urban Forest Management Plan (Citywide). ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council approve the First Amendment to the Consultant Services Agreement with Dudek extending the consultants performance period by three months to March 31, 2024, to continue professional services related to the development of the Urban Forest Management Plan, and to authorize the Public Works Director or designee to sign the first amendment to the Agreement on behalf of the City of Fresno. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On June 25, 2020, the City was awarded a California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) grant that provided funding to hire a consultant that would assess the City's current urban forest, tree inventory, green canopy, along with City policies. This plan will provide guidance, direction, and suggested changes to the City's current processes with the goal of creating a forty-year Urban Forest Management Plan. This plan will be comprehensive including both recommendations for maintenance and expansion of the City of Fresno Urban Forest. Upon completion of the draft master plan, staff will present to Council for consideration and final adoption. BACKGROUND A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Urban Forest Management Plan was published on June 12, 2021, in the Fresno Business Journal and Planet Bids. A public bid opening was held on June 24, 2021, and two bids were received. Staff conducted interviews with both companies and Dudek was selected as the most qualified and experienced. The original project scope was expected to take approximately 16 months to complete and was originally scheduled to conclude with a recommended final plan for adoption in December 2023. Staff recommends that the City Council approve the first amendment to the consultant services agreement with Dudek extending the performance period by three months. This additional time is needed to properly review the draft plan, to integrate the public and stakeholder comments and input, and route the final draft to Council for consideration and approval. This project remains on budget, however additional time is needed to complete the draft plan. This first amendment to the consultant services agreement is adding an additional three months to the contract duration. The project scope included community outreach which included a community online survey, community meetings, and two Urban Forest Summits. Dudek conducted a series of interviews which included City staff that are involved in design and management activities that may also affect tree preservation and green infrastructure design or planning efforts within the City. The goal during these interviews was to identify and build upon the following: * Existing tree management and protection policies and regulations in comparison to model tree ordinances. * Internal protocol and processes for design, tree removal requests, pruning, use of inventory database and GIS tools. Along with reviews of other maintenance and tree planting activities being conducted by all City departments. * Financial and human resources dedicated to urban forestry management, plan review, and permitting. * Potential future tree management or planting activities. * City ordinances, regulations, and permits in place that affect tree management, tree protection, tree removal, or tree planting. * Goals, policies, and priorities of each department that relate to tree management, tree protection, or tree planting. * Urban forest program funding. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378, this is not a project as defined by CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because this is an existing contract. FISCAL IMPACT This request will have no impact on the General Fund as the dollars are from a CalFire grant and are included in the adopted budget. There is no cost increase associated with the time extension. Attachment(s): Original Agreement First Amendment to the Agreement