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Council pauses SafeBuilt fee increases, asks staff to negotiate and return with options
Summary
Contracted building‑services vendor SafeBuilt requested across‑the‑board fee increases, including a jump in inspection rates; council directed staff to negotiate the request and continued the resolution to Feb. 9 to allow further analysis and possible staged adjustments.
Garden City staff briefed the council Jan. 26 on a vendor request to increase multiple fees charged by SafeBuilt, the city’s contracted building‑services provider.
Director Thornborough said SafeBuilt’s submission included increases that in some categories rose into double digits, and cited a notable proposed inspection rate change to about $110 per hour. Staff signaled concern and said the contract contains CPI‑based adjustment clauses and a separate clause allowing renegotiation; the city historically negotiated modest annual increases. City legal and finance staff advised council that staff would attempt to negotiate the proposal, examine the contract language and consider whether the city should seek a smaller phased increase or other procurement options.
Council asked whether alternate providers exist and whether performance standards are tied to compensation; staff said other state or municipal options exist but come with tradeoffs. Council directed staff to engage SafeBuilt for justification and potential staged implementation and to return Feb. 9 with recommendations. Councilors also suggested exploring longer lead times and the possibility of spreading increases across quarters if a large uplift were unavoidable.
Next steps: staff to negotiate with SafeBuilt, review contract obligations, and present options (negotiated rate, phased increases, procurement alternatives) at the Feb. 9 meeting.
