Council OKs on-call CEQA services with PlaceWorks; members debate single-vendor approach

Placerville City Council on March 24 authorized the city manager to negotiate a professional-services agreement with PlaceWorks for on-call CEQA peer review and staff augmentation.

Carol Kendrick, Development Services Director, said the city solicited qualifications and received five responses; PlaceWorks ranked first based on qualifications, technical depth and public-agency experience. Kendrick said recent staff reductions have limited the city's in-house CEQA capacity and that the city would rely on applicant-provided CEQA documents with the consultant providing peer review and, when necessary, staff augmentation. Staff noted there would be no direct city cost because developers would pay for required reviews under task orders.

Council members debated whether to select a single firm or multiple on-call vendors. Some members recommended multiple firms to provide competition and capacity; others argued continuity and efficiency favor a single firm that develops institutional knowledge. Mark Teague, PlaceWorks principal advisor, explained PlaceWorks' experience working with small cities and said his firm provides task-order pricing and on-call support. After discussion a council member moved and the council approved the staff recommendation to proceed with PlaceWorks as the single on-call vendor; roll-call vote recorded unanimous 'Aye.'

Next steps: City Manager or designee will negotiate contract terms with PlaceWorks and return with a formal agreement for execution; staff will use task orders to engage services as specific CEQA needs arise.