Chowchilla council waives bidding and approves public safety radio upgrade; awards Prop 218 rate studies

The Chowchilla City Council on an unanimous vote approved two contracts and administrative steps aimed at updating public-safety communications and moving forward with Prop 218 rate studies.

Council members voted to waive the formal bidding process so staff can contract directly for a public safety communications installation under a city procurement exception. Staff said Motorola and Kenwood are the only radio manufacturers the city uses and that Cook’s Communication is the only authorized installer for the Zetron-integrated system the city operates. "This project will alleviate those issues as well as extend us, and the capabilities," Chief Palmer told the council, describing gaps in coverage and the need for a new digital channel for law enforcement.

With the bidding waiver in place, the council adopted a resolution authorizing Cook's Communications to complete the radio upgrade. Chief Palmer said the city’s Zetron dispatch system has been in place for about 15 years and is nearing the end of its useful life; he said parts and upgrade paths are limited and Cook’s is the only vendor that can perform the required work. The upgrade will include dispatch consoles, portable and vehicle radios, and a new radio repeater location, officials said.

The council also approved awarding the Prop 218 rate studies for water, sewer, storm drain and solid waste to a consulting firm identified in the staff presentation as "Lickowitz and Singh Municipal Services" (the transcript contains alternate renderings of the firm name). Staff said the city solicited RFQs, shortlisted three firms, solicited cost proposals, and made the selection based on available budget for the fiscal year.

Both measures were presented as routine administrative steps tied to ongoing maintenance and project timelines; council members asked no substantive follow-up questions before voting. All motions passed unanimously on roll call.

The council also noted several other staff updates during the meeting: an IT project to migrate city backups to a new system, completion of pavement rehabilitation and striping on Chowchilla Boulevard, activation of Ventura speed feedback signs and license plate readers on paved city entrances and exits, and community events including a backpack giveaway (staff reported about 400 backpacks purchased and roughly 250 distributed) and an upcoming "party in the park" on Aug. 23.

Next steps: staff will proceed with contracting with Cook's Communications under the waiver and finalize the consulting agreement for the Prop 218 studies; the council did not set additional public hearings on these items during the meeting.