Committee authorizes $18,000 amendment to Project Sentinel contract to cover higher hearing-officer costs

The Mountain View Rental Housing Committee authorized an amendment to its fiscal-year 2024–25 agreement with Project Sentinel, adding $18,000 to the contract to cover higher-than-expected volumes of petitions and related hearing-officer invoices.

Staff said the original agreement authorized a total not to exceed $180,000, allocated across administrative support (up to $10,000), facilitators (up to $10,000), and hearing officers (up to $160,000). An increase in petition filings in 2023–24 resulted in more hearings billable in 2024–25, and staff proposed adding $18,000 so the total would not exceed $198,000. The additional funds will be taken from the 2025–26 budget because the 2024–25 financials are closed, and staff said the remaining FY25–26 budgeted hearing-officer funds (about $162,000) were expected to suffice for the coming period.

Vice Chair Cox moved to authorize the rent stabilization manager or designee to amend the Project Sentinel agreement as described; Member Keating seconded. Vice Chair Cox said the committee appreciates staff’s briefing on the petition curve and the likely tapering of invoices. The motion passed with five ayes.

Why it matters: Project Sentinel provides administrative and hearing-process services that support the city’s rent-stabilization processes. The amendment ensures the division can pay invoices for hearing officers and administrative services without interruption, and it signals near-term budget pressure tied to a temporary surge in petition filings.

The committee next considered a separate amendment to a legal-services agreement.