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Council declines immediate approval for BELFOR fire cleanup; requests three bids and more cost detail
Summary
After a fire at the Public Works yard, staff recommended contracting BELFOR for cleanup work; the council did not approve the single recommended vendor and instead requested staff obtain at least three bids and provide further details on costs and insurance coverage.
California City — Following a July fire at the city's Public Works facility, staff sought council approval on Sept. 23 to contract BELFOR for two-phase cleanup and remediation at the yard and adjacent garage. Staff told the council the building was a total loss and the adjacent garage required smoke-remediation; the work would be covered by insurance except for city deductibles.
Staff described two work phases: Phase 1 (cleanup and scrubbing to make the garage usable) estimated at roughly $40,000–$45,000 and Phase 2 (removal of fire-damaged debris and further remediation) estimated at roughly $30,000–$35,000. Insurance would cover cleanup costs after audit, staff said, but the city's building deductible is $25,000 and vehicle deductibles are $10,000 per vehicle. Staff also reported several city vehicles were damaged; three were considered total losses and two more had damage that may be below the deductible.
Council decision and direction: A motion to approve the BELFOR proposals failed for lack of a second. Several council members requested that staff obtain three competitive bids rather than accept the insurer's recommended vendor and to provide detailed documentation, including the insurance investigation and the insurer's cost estimates. Council also asked for a clearer accounting of which departments and funds will cover the city's deductible; staff explained they proposed allocating the $25,000 building deductible across department units occupying the building (water 60 percent, Dial-a-Ride 20 percent, streets 20 percent) because five offices are in the building (three for water, one for Dial-a-Ride and one for streets).
Why council declined immediate approval: Council members expressed unease about using a single vendor recommended by insurance without competitive bidding and asked for more transparency on the insurer's audit process, any prior use of the vendor and the full cost estimate for rebuilding. The city manager and staff said insurance auditors review invoices and that the city would only be responsible for its deductible and items not covered, but council members still wanted multiple bids.
Next steps: Council directed staff to return with at least three bids and additional documentation from the insurance investigator and the public-safety/fire investigation before contracting cleanup work and before committing city funds for deductibles.
