Council approves $1.7M general‑plan contract for Rincon and greenlights Perk Water to operate water system

Huntington Park’s City Council approved two major items: a professional services contract to update the city’s comprehensive general plan and a separate professional agreement to operate the city’s water system.

Community Development recommended awarding a contract to Rincon Consultants (the only responsive proposer) for a comprehensive general‑plan and code update, not to exceed $1,700,000 over three years, with $750,000 requested in the current fiscal year. Staff said the scope will implement actions emerging from recently adopted housing, environmental‑justice and safety elements and address state‑level triggers (staff cited SB 1425 and other statutory update timelines). Council sought clarification about funding sources (staff said general fund; grants being pursued) and compliance benchmarks. The council voted unanimously to approve the contract.

On utilities, staff proposed a three‑year professional services agreement with Perk Water (with two single‑year extensions) to operate the city’s water system, covering daily operations, regulatory compliance, and customer service. Staff explained sewer operations will be handled separately; council asked whether sewer could be brought in‑house and pressed Perk Water representatives on operational experience (examples in Pico Rivera and the Groundwater Reliability Improvement Project were discussed). The Perk Water agreement passed by roll call with Councilmember Macias voting No and the remaining members voting Yes.

Both contracts will proceed to administrative execution; staff indicated follow‑up reporting and benchmarks will be part of contract oversight.