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Council approves West Coast Arborist contract over local bidders' objections
Summary
Council approved a multi‑year tree maintenance contract with West Coast Arborist via a piggyback from Rialto’s RFP. Mariposa Tree Management and other local interests urged a competitive Monrovia RFP; City Attorney determined a same‑day protest letter from Great Scott Tree Care did not raise a valid legal protest.
The Monrovia City Council voted 4–1 on Tuesday to approve a multi‑year tree maintenance contract with West Coast Arborist (WCA), endorsing staff’s recommendation to use a “piggyback” procurement off of another city's competitive bid.
Staff presented a two‑year contract, with two one‑year extension options, for grid‑trimming, tree removal, emergency response and other services. The motion as read in the meeting set annual not‑to‑exceed amounts of $412,563 for tree maintenance and $10,000 for brush clearance through June 30, 2027, with extensions subject to an annual index not to exceed 6%.
Public Works staff (presented by the project lead identified in the meeting as Mr. Tachiki) told the council that Monrovia has a large urban forest — “over 8,000 trees” — and described grid trimming as the key annual workload; staff said they aim to trim roughly 20% of trees each year. The staff report compared recent competitive bids from other cities and showed WCA as the low bidder on a Rialto RFP, with grid‑trimming prices shown at $75 per tree for WCA, $83.50 for Mariposa Tree Management, and higher prices for two other vendors.
Dennis Jones, speaking for Mariposa Tree Management, urged the council not to approve the piggybacked contract and to run a Monrovia competitive process. “A competitive bidding process ensures transparency, allows for innovative approaches, and ultimately provides the best value for Monrovia taxpayers,” Jones said. Jones noted Mariposa’s local ties, staff who live in Monrovia and a certified arborist on staff.
Jennifer McDonald, a Monrovia resident, said neighborhood volunteers were ready to assist with growing the urban canopy and expressed support for local participation in future procurement.
City Attorney Alex Steele told council members the city received a same‑day letter from Great Scott Tree Care, dated the meeting day and described as a formal protest. He said the letter argued the piggyback process was the wrong approach but did not present legal grounds to invalidate the procurement. “It really is not a protest regarding price or regarding…noncompliance with any of the laws that might be applicable to this contract,” Steele said, and concluded the letter did not raise legal issues that required further action.
Councilmember Belden voted against approving the contract; the other members — Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, Councilmember Larry Spicer, Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Kelly and Mayor Becky Shevlin — voted in favor in a roll‑call vote.
Staff clarified the contract does not cover the city’s tree‑planting program, which is a separate contract the council considers annually. Bermejo (staff) said the city typically budgets about $75,000 a year for tree planting and that planting contracts will come to council separately.
Why it matters: The contract governs pruning, emergency tree removals (including past windstorm responses), and other canopy management services. The decision underscores tradeoffs between procurement speed and seeking local competitive bids; it also raised concerns about supporting locally based tree contractors.
What happens next: The city manager is authorized to execute the contract in a form approved by the city attorney; staff will continue to manage separate tree‑planting procurements and monitoring of WCA’s performance under the contract.
