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Council approves consent item including Benitez contract extension; staff outlines funding and contingency plans for encampment site
Summary
Council approved consent items Nov. 19; council discussed the fourth extension to the Benitez security contract, funding from county Encampment Resolution funds and reallocation options from modular‑unit allocations, and staff said a county budget amendment will reallocate excess modular funds to cover unanticipated costs.
The Soledad City Council on Nov. 19 approved consent items including a contract extension related to services for a provisional encampment. Mayor Anna Loosius pulled consent item 3 for discussion and asked staff for an updated budget and construction timeline after multiple contract extensions.
City staffer Beatrice explained the expenses are drawn from an advance payment the city received from the county’s Encampment Resolution Fund and from the property‑management line item. She said the city previously budgeted $1.7 million for modular units and related labor and construction agreements, and that a $168,000 contingency allocation from the county supplemented those funds. Staff noted existing contracts with MEC (professional services) and Blancas Construction (general contractor) include a built‑in 5% contingency.
Beatrice told council that a partner organization (transcribed as StepUp) has paid roughly $48,500 for motel stays to reduce pressure on city funds; she said staff plan to reduce security from 24 hours to a shorter schedule once modular units are occupied (initially 12 hours/day for about three months, then moving toward 8 hours/day). Beatrice also said the city has invested the advance payments in a money market and has been earning interest on the balance.
Councilmembers asked for a clear, comprehensive construction timeline and an updated budget showing the remaining balance in the Encampment Resolution Fund and line‑item expenditures. Staff said they will provide the requested budget detail and a timeline, and that some reallocation of modular‑unit funds to cover near‑term security and janitorial needs will be coordinated with the county.
The council voted to approve the consent calendar item (Resolution No. 6302) after the discussion.
