Council approves consent calendar after discussion of $15,000 vehicle upfit and public concern over single-vendor procurement

The Woodland City Council voted unanimously to approve the consent calendar on Wednesday, but not before a brief council discussion about a $15,000 cost differential on a vehicle upfit and a public commenter urged the city to solicit additional bids on a separate procurement.

Council member Garcia Padilla asked why one upfit (G6) was $15,000 more expensive than anticipated. Public Works staff explained that the vehicles involved are Ford F-450 heavy-duty trucks; one water division truck used a short-wheelbase chassis and a certain utility body, while the sewer truck used a longer-wheelbase chassis that required a different, more specialized utility body. The supplier for that configuration charged an additional $15,000, staff said. The staff explained the original replacement vehicles purchased under a pre-COVID grant had been fully electric but failed to meet required performance standards; titles were returned to the air district and the city purchased different chassis.

Public Works (speaker identified on the record as Craig) described the upfit as a "very custom upfit" to ensure crews carry the tools and equipment needed for fieldwork. "The cost differential was another 15,000 more," staff said.

During public comment on consent item 7, James Voorhees told the council he was concerned that only a single company was being considered for a contract (item 7 subsection 4). He urged the city to seek multiple proposals—two or three—rather than rely on a single vendor and a 10% contingency to avoid perceived monopolies.

The consent calendar motion was moved by a council member and seconded; the motion carried 5–0. The council did not alter the consent items at this meeting and took no additional procurement action beyond the discussion.