Angels Camp council approves meters purchase, engineering RFQ and PG&E easement; consent agenda passed

The Angels Camp City Council approved several administrative and procurement actions at its February 2025 meeting, including the consent agenda (road closure for a youth parade), purchase of automatic meter‑reading equipment, issuance of a request for qualifications (RFQ) for on‑call engineering services and adoption of a resolution authorizing a temporary construction easement for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E).

Meters: Chris (public works) asked the council for permission to purchase the first tranche of automatic metering equipment — meters, associated software and hardware — at a cost he described as “just south of $400,000.” Council members approved the purchase; staff said additional orders will be placed in the next fiscal year and installations will be scheduled so parts are available when contractors begin work. Chris said the meters can take approximately “7 30 days” (transcript) to arrive after ordering, so the city is ordering now to avoid supply delays. During discussion staff said the expenditure will draw on enterprise fund capital allocations; the city has identified about $9,000,000 in projects for the enterprise fund reserve.

Engineering RFQ: The council authorized staff to release a request for qualifications seeking multiple firms for city engineering and on‑call services. Staff said the current three‑year contract with the firm Dewberry expires June 30, 2025, and the RFQ process is intended to yield several qualified firms and avoid sole reliance on one vendor. The council asked staff to consider whether an in‑house engineering threshold should be established and confirmed that contracts would include coordination language so multiple firms could “play nice in the sandbox.” The RFQ authorization passed.

PG&E easement (Resolution 25‑12): The council approved Resolution 25‑12, authorizing a temporary construction easement between the City of Angels Camp and Pacific Gas & Electric. Staff noted PG&E sought use of the spray field and that PG&E representatives appeared by phone to explain helicopter operations. PG&E’s project representative said helicopter use would be intermittent, concentrated during a two to three‑month window, and that on a busiest day helicopters might land or transit about “20 times a day.” Council members requested contract language requiring the contractor to install cattle‑proof gates and to be responsible for opening/closing shared gates on Highway 49 during operations; staff said an addendum to the easement would be added to address gate control. The agreement includes insurance and indemnification language; city counsel reviewed insurance limits and said $1 million is a reasonable threshold for the easement insurance requirement.

Consent agenda and other items: The council approved the consent agenda, which included the road closure for a youth parade. There was no substantive public opposition recorded for the listed consent items.

Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (road closure, youth parade): approved (unanimous roll call). Referenced in meeting as consent agenda item 6.a. - Purchase of automatic metering equipment (meters, software, hardware; cost described as “just south of $400,000”): approved. Motion and second recorded; roll call recorded multiple ayes. - RFQ for on‑call engineering services (to replace/augment current contract expiring June 30, 2025): approved. Council directed staff to pursue multiple firms and return a contract for July 1 start date. - Resolution 25‑12, temporary construction easement with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E): approved with direction to add gate‑control language and confirm insurance terms.

All actions were recorded in roll call; council asked staff to return with final contract language as needed and to verify contractor licensing and insurance before operations begin.