Beaumont Council grants one‑time slurry‑seal exemption for two Beaumont Unified projects, conditions reimbursement talks

Beaumont City Council on Tuesday approved a one‑time exemption to the city’s street‑cut moratorium slurry‑seal requirement for two Beaumont Unified School District projects, and asked staff to pursue a discussion with the district about the city performing the slurry work with the district reimbursing actual costs.

The exemption covers new water service trenches for classroom additions at Glenview High School (Chestnut Avenue) and a new kitchen at Palm Innovation Academy (Eighth Street). Beaumont Unified representative Gonzales told the council the district was seeking the exemption because combined costs for slurry seals and related pavement work could run roughly $100,000 for both projects and would strain district resources.

The vote followed about an hour of staff and council discussion on pavement life, precedent and cost. Staff said the code requires property‑line‑to‑property‑line slurry seal on moratorium streets after trenching to protect the road and reduce future maintenance. For the two school sites, staff estimated the slurry‑seal square footage at roughly 16,830 square feet and previously used city examples to estimate a cost “between $6,000 and $10,000.” The water district provided a contractor quote that came in at about $28,000 for the same slurry work, and the district said Glenview’s full scope could cost about $50,000 by itself. Gonzales said the district had relied on the water district’s contractor and had not anticipated the higher cost: “we have been working with the water district to get significant lower costs… so for that reason we're asking for these exemptions,” she said.

Council members pressed staff on why the rules exist and how long the moratorium lasts. Public works staff said the grind‑and‑overlay method used on those streets four years ago has an estimated useful life of about 10 years; the moratorium is designed to protect that investment. Staff also noted that when the Beaumont Cherry Valley Water District performs work for its own facilities under a city permit, the city previously allowed the district to omit a slurry seal, but the district said it would not apply that annual‑permit exception when doing work for a third party.

Council settled on an amended motion that granted the one‑time exemption for the slurry seal while directing staff to: (1) discuss with the school district the option of the city performing the slurry seal as part of the city’s upcoming annual slurry project and (2) return with a written agreement for council approval if the district agrees to reimburse the city for its actual cost. Council members said the amendment was intended to avoid creating an unbounded precedent while giving the district relief because the streets are within roughly one year of the end of the moratorium period.

The roll call vote on the amended motion was unanimous in favor: Council Member Finn, Council Member Martinez, Council Member White, Mayor Pro Tem Voigt and Mayor Laura. If the district declines reimbursement, staff said the district could return to council to request the slurry‑seal exemption again.

The council repeatedly cautioned that exemptions must be managed so the moratorium retains its protective value for the city's pavement investment. Staff said if the council directs the city to include the slurry work in the city’s advertised annual slurry contract, the district’s cost would likely be substantially lower than the $1.50 per square‑foot quote the district received from a private contractor — staff estimated an approximate city rate of $0.20 per square foot for large‑scale projects.

Clarifying details recorded in the meeting included: the slurry‑seal requirement normally runs property‑line to property‑line; Chestnut Avenue’s affected length for slurry seal was estimated at roughly 530 feet and Eighth Street at about 165 feet; staff’s measured square footage estimate (16,830 sq ft) was described as a rough Google Earth measurement; and the district’s higher quote (about $28,000) reflected the contractor the district proposed to use.

The council directed staff to return with a written reimbursement agreement for council approval should the district accept the city performing the slurry seal under city contract terms.