Committee delays vote on 3-year boats, RVs and trailer removal contract pending vendor details

The Public Health and Safety standing committee on April 14 moved to bring back for one week a proposed three-year, $525,000 contract with Dee DeBuck Construction for removal and disposal of boats, watercraft, recreational vehicles and trailers. Committee members said they needed vendor and program details before approving the agreement.

Commander Stacy Alvarado, Management Services Division, told the committee the prior contract expires July 1, 2025, and staff estimated the city would remove about 400–500 boats, trailers, and RVs per year based on recent large removal efforts. "When we did the estimate, we looked at what we've towed over the past year...we expect another, on average, 4 to 500 boats per year," Alvarado said.

Members asked for historical contract performance, how often registered owners are identified and ticketed, and where vehicles and materials are taken for disposal. Alvarado said the city runs registration checks and issues tickets when possible; if no owner can be found, items proceed through the abandoned-vehicle process. She said fluids are removed before the vehicles are crushed and disposed of; committee members requested vendor-specific disposal-site information.

The chair made a motion to bring the item back in one week so staff could supply details; the motion carried without objection. The committee will revisit the contract with documentation on last-year tow volumes, disposition locations, and enforcement outcomes before deciding whether to send the contract to formal council.