Victor Zambrano, management analyst for the Environmental Resources Division, recommended that the Oxnard City Council approve a sixth amendment to a rental agreement with Big Truck Rental LLC that would add $1,226,541 to the contract and extend the term through June 30, 2026, to support refuse collection operations.

The amendment would bring the contract total to $6,304,576 and allow Environmental Resources to continue renting refuse collection vehicles while staff finalize a vehicle replacement plan and identify capital funding, Zambrano said. He stated the division currently owns and operates 74 refuse collection vehicles and that an aging fleet, preventive maintenance, ongoing repairs and U.S. Department of Transportation inspections every 90 days reduce vehicle availability.

Zambrano said Environmental Resources may need to rent between five and 10 refuse collection vehicles per month to maintain reliable residential and commercial collection services. He told the council the current weekly rental rate for each vehicle ranges from $2,500 to $2,875 depending on the model.

Staff described the rental agreement with Big Truck Rental LLC as providing flexibility to rent and return vehicles without penalty. The presentation said funding for fiscal year 2025–26 has been requested in the Environmental Resources fund (noted in the presentation as "06/31 proposed budget") and that the division's recently completed cost-of-service study projects revenue from fiscal years 2024–25 through 2028–29 to support vehicle acquisition, lease purchase or continued rentals and to meet anticipated zero‑emission vehicle requirements.

City staff said they will perform a comprehensive analysis to identify the most cost‑effective procurement strategy for replacing vehicles and plan to return to the council as early as fiscal year 2025–26 with a recommendation to purchase new refuse collection vehicles, including zero‑emission options. In the interim, staff recommended continuing rentals to avoid service interruptions.

The staff presentation summarized the contract history: the council approved an earlier agreement on June 30, 2020, with AMREP USA Incorporated for rental vehicles; that agreement was transferred to Big Truck Rental LLC on Oct. 20, 2020. The sixth amendment amount and the proposed extension were presented as staff recommendations; the transcript of the meeting does not record a council vote or final action on the amendment.