TO: Board of Trustees
FROM: Steven Lederer, Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Michael Karath, Staff Services Analyst II
SUBJECT: Monticello Public Cemetery District (MPCD) - Budget Amendment for Landscaping Services; Contract Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 230118B (MPCD) for Landscaping Services
RECOMMENDATION
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Approve and authorize Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 230118B (MPCD) with Prestige Lawn Care Maintenance to increase the contract maximum to $105,000 and to extend the term through June 30, 2025 to construct a walkway system; and approve a Budget Amendment to increase appropriations in landscaping services. (Fiscal Impact: $50,000 Expense; Monticello Public Cemetery District; Not Budgeted; Discretionary)
[4/5 vote required]
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BACKGROUND
Monticello Public Cemetery was built on a foothill, a steep incline that makes it difficult to access graves, particularly for senior citizens. Absent level walking paths, Monticello Public Cemetery District (MPCD) staff has observed seniors unable to traverse the lawn to participate in burial services. While staff had completed a leveling and re-seeding of the entire lawn and an erosion project at the north fence line, heavy rains still cascade down the hill taking their annual toll, creating uneven areas that are difficult to negotiate, particularly with a walker or wheelchair. In 2022, the MPCD Advisory Committee unanimously voted to endorse building a pathway system for increased access and safety.
In 2022, Monticello Public Cemetery District (MPCD) staff and Public Works Roads Division agreed to transfer $40,000 from the MPCD available fund balance to the Roads Division to construct a walking path system on the Monticello Public Cemetery grounds. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains over the past few years, the Roads Division has been unable to schedule the project, as major roadway repair throughout the County took precedence. In December 2023, MPCD staff and the Roads Division agreed to have the MPCD construct the walkway system and Roads returned the funds.
While waiting for the project to begin, MPCD had hired a new landscape company, Prestige Lawn Care Maintenance, located near the cemetery. Prestige is experienced in building walkways and built a walkway last year (using decomposed granite) at the cemetery’s plaque entrance area. The proposed walkway system project will also use decomposed granite, a durable and more aesthetically pleasing material than the black asphalt the Roads Division would have used. MPCD staff and MPCD Advisory Committee agreed to have Prestige to construct the walking path. On March 12, 2024, the Board of Supervisors, sitting as the MPCD Board of Trustees, approved Amendment No. 2 to Prestige’s contract, increasing the contract’s maximum amount to accommodate the project. Staff believed there was plenty of time to finish the project before the end of the fiscal year, and thus scheduled the approval to end on June 30, 2024. However, the amendment triggered the County’s new insurance process, which delayed the project by several months. Prestige began excavating the ground for the pathways in late June, but the bulk of the project had to be pushed to Fiscal Year 2024-25.
Staff now requests approval of Amendment No. 3 to increase the contract’s maximum to $105,000, ending on June 30, 2025, to accommodate the cost of the walkways project and a tree installation project to provide shade for exposed parts of the cemetery’s lawn.
MPCD staff is also requesting a $50,000 Budget Amendment to fund the completion of the walkways project and provide contingency for any unanticipated costs.
Fiscal Year 2024-25 landscape spending would now include: $29,000 for monthly maintenance; $50,000 (Budget Amendment) for the balance of the walkways project, and $12,000 for a tree installation project to provide partial shade to exposed portions of the cemetery’s lawn (funded by Roads transfer of $12,000 for another MPCD project Roads could not schedule), for a spending total of $91,000. The proposed $100,000 maximum will cover this spending and any unanticipated costs.
This Budget Amendment is projected to leave a $45,000 fund balance as a buffer for a $56,000 annual budget. The cemetery’s endowment fund also provides a buffer of $91,500 that can be used for cemetery expenditures if needed. With this Budget Amendment, all major projects, that have been delayed for many years, will be completed.
Requested Actions:
1. Approve Amendment No. 3 to Agreement No. 230118B with Prestige Lawn Care Maintenance for a new contract maximum of $105,000 in FY25; and
2. Approve a Budget Amendment to increase appropriations in Landscaping Services (Fund 2860, Subdivision 2860000, Account 52340) in the amount of $50,000 offset by available fund balance.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
Yes |
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Is it currently budgeted? |
No |
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Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? |
Discretionary |
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Discretionary Justification: |
These funds are needed to finish projects that will greatly improve access, safety, and aesthetic appearance. |
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Is the general fund affected? |
No |
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Future fiscal impact: |
None |
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Consequences if not approved: |
Seniors and other visitors will continue to have a difficult time safely accessing the cemetery. Further, the projects needed to improve the cemetery will likely become more expensive as time goes on. |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: It has been determined that this type of project does not have a significant effect on the environment and is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act. [See Class 1 (“Existing Facilities”) which may be found in the guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act at 14 CCR §15301; see also Napa County’s Local Procedures for Implementing the California Environmental Quality Act, Appendix B.