Monrovia approves $412,563 annual tree‑maintenance contract with West Coast Arborists over local bid objections

MONROVIA, Calif. — The Monrovia City Council on June 3 approved a contract with West Coast Arborists to provide tree maintenance services for the city, voting 4–1 after public comment from a local tree company and residents who said the city should seek new competitive bids.

City staff recommended the agreement — described as a two‑year contract ending June 30, 2027, with two one‑year options to extend — saying the city could “piggyback” on a competitively bid Rialto contract that put West Coast Arborists (WCA) at a lower fixed price than other vendors. The council authorized the city manager to execute the contract with an annual not‑to‑exceed amount of $412,563 for tree maintenance and $10,000 for brush clearance and allowed future extended‑year increases tied to the Engineering News‑Record Los Angeles labor cost index not to exceed 6% per extension.

The contract covers grid trimming (the largest component), tree and stump removal, emergency response and related services. Public works staff said Monrovia has more than 8,000 city trees and aims to trim about 20% of them each year; staff reported WCA’s Rialto RFP grid‑trimming price at $75 per tree versus $83.50 from Mariposa Tree Management and higher prices from other bidders.

The contract drew objections from Dennis Jones, representing Mariposa Tree Management, who urged the council to issue a Monrovia‑specific solicitation rather than use a piggyback procurement. “We are a tree care company with strong roots in the San Gabriel Valley, and we’re here today to respectfully request that you go against staff’s recommendation,” Jones said, arguing that local vendors and differences in urban forest conditions should factor into Monrovia’s procurement. He noted prior Monrovia piggybacking on Highland in 2021 and said a local competitive process could keep jobs and tax dollars in the community.

Resident Jennifer McDonald also spoke in favor of more local engagement and volunteer participation in urban forest planning. “I am a Monrovia resident, and… I think I’m a little bit of an expert at this point,” McDonald said, and added that community volunteers are ready to help grow the city’s urban canopy.

City Attorney Steele told the council staff had received a letter dated June 3 from Great Scott Tree Care framed as a protest of the award but that the letter did not raise legal defects in the RFP or procurement: “it’s not a valid protest and doesn’t need to be entertained any further,” Steele said.

Staff clarified that the tree planting program is handled separately: the council historically allocates about $75,000 annually for tree planting and that planting contracts would return to the council for approval. Staff also said the city relied on Rialto’s competitive process because state and local purchasing rules allow purchasing via another governmental entity’s competitively bid contract.

Councilmember Belden cast the lone “no” vote. The recorded roll call on the motion to approve the agreement was: Belden — No; Jimenez — Yes; Spicer — Yes; Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Kelly — Yes; Mayor Becky Shevlin — Yes.

The council directed staff to return with the separate tree‑planting contract for council review and kept the city’s procurement approach and fixed pricing as justifications for awarding the maintenance contract to WCA. Staff noted WCA’s role in emergency response during the Jan. 6 windstorm and power outages as part of their record of service to the city.

As approved, the contract establishes an on‑call maintenance vendor for trimming cycles, emergency response and related tree services; it does not include the separate tree‑planting program that will be brought forward later for council consideration.