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Council approves two-year arborist amendment; council members ask staff to consider future bidding or in-house position
Summary
Councilmembers approved an amendment expanding the city’s contract with Dudek for arborist services covering street trees and palm inspections, while asking staff to study whether bidding or creating an in‑house arborist role would offer better value later.
Councilmembers approved an amendment to a continuing contract with Dudek to expand the scope of urban-forest services, including additional street right-of-way trees and palm weevil inspections for the city’s 200+ palm trees.
Public Works staff described the contract amendment as a scope change for the existing city arborist consultant; staff said Dudek provides weekly inspections, sets pruning schedules for the maintenance contractor (WCA) and offers liability and risk recommendations related to the city’s urban forest. Staff said the work averages roughly one full-time equivalent across three Dudek professionals and that the amendment covers year 5 and 6 of the program.
Council members questioned whether the city should go to bid or consider bringing arborist expertise in-house to reduce long-term costs. Public commenter Brad Lefkowitz, who identified himself as a member of the Urban Forest Advisory Committee, urged caution about replacing the current contractor because Dudek’s institutional knowledge and the firm’s roster of specialists are valuable.
Deputy Mayor Lines moved approval of the amendment and asked staff to review procurement options when the contract next comes up; the motion passed unanimously. No additional funds beyond the approved amendment were appropriated in open session at the meeting. Councilmembers said the city should weigh the cost of consultant continuity against the potential savings and knowledge transfer from a future procurement or in-house hire.
