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Supervisors press Public Works on JCDecaux toilet and kiosk contract amid sixth amendment request
Summary
Public Works sought a 90‑day extension of the JCDecaux public toilet and street‑furniture contract to finish design and approvals for a new agreement. Supervisors raised concerns about repeated extensions, past contract terms, advertising revenue split and whether the city should operate toilets directly; the committee continued the item to allow additional briefings and community consultation.
Public Works requested committee approval of a sixth amendment to the revenue agreement with JCDecaux to extend the existing contract term by 90 days while a redesigned street‑furniture and public‑toilet contract is finalized.
Jeremy Spitz (Public Works) said the original contract dates to 1996 and that design review and community input prompted a year‑long design competition; staff have now received the necessary approvals from the Civic Design Review Committee, Historic Preservation Commission and Arts Commission. He said delays in the design review process are the reason for the extensions and that the new contract is on track to be introduced in March.
Supervisors, led by Aaron Peskin, questioned the practice of repeatedly extending an incumbent contract and cited media reports about the company’s revenue. Peskin and others pressed Public Works on whether the city had been shortchanged in prior contract terms, asked how many toilets are under contract (staff said 25), and sought clarity on revenue shares (Public Works said the current contract share is roughly 7% of gross, historically producing about $750,000–$800,000 annually).
Public Works staff (Julia Dawson) said converting to digital advertising is a revenue lever but that digital conversion has not been negotiated because staff expected the new contract to be ready sooner. Committee members debated whether the city should operate and staff toilets directly (pit‑stop staffed models cost staff roughly $200,000 per staffed site annually, Public Works said) and asked for a briefing on options, revenue comparisons, and a map of toilet locations.
Given substantial council concern and requests for more detail and community outreach, the committee agreed to continue the item to the call of the chair and set it for a March 13 follow‑up date to allow more time for briefing and consultation before approving another extension or the new contract. Several supervisors said they are open to alternatives but wanted more information on terms and public benefits before voting.
