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Council approves interim Willdan contract for after-hours animal control, will revisit in April
Summary
After public objections from longtime on-call animal-control providers, the council approved a short-term contract with Willdan Engineering to restore after-hours coverage and directed staff to return with more detail and options in April.
The Loma Linda City Council voted to approve an interim contract with Willdan Engineering to provide after-hours animal-control coverage, while directing staff to return with additional information and options at a future meeting.
Gil Garza, the public speaker identified by the clerk, told the council he and Brandy Correa had handled after-hours animal-control calls for about 12 years and objected to the proposed contract. “Paying Willdan $75 per hour, four-hour minimum — that’s $300 a night — and if they get called out that’s another $300 minimum,” Garza said, adding that the arrangement could cost the city “about $40,000 for the next three to four months.” He said he and Correa were never offered an opportunity to continue the work and called the cost “an insult.”
City staff and an agency official explained the contract was proposed after San Bernardino—previously used for after-hours service—gave notice that it could no longer continue providing coverage. An agency official told the council that the fire marshal and HR had evaluated options and concluded Willdan was the most reliable available vendor to provide continuous after-hours coverage. “San Bernardino City… were unable to continue providing and gave us notice that they were going to have to stop providing after hours,” the agency official said.
City Manager (speaker 2) told council members he would work with the fire marshal and bring more detail back to the council in April. “I will bring it back in April and give you a more detailed report,” the city manager said.
Council members discussed alternatives, including pulling the item and allowing staff time to consult with the fire marshal and affected local responders. The council ultimately approved awarding the contract to Willdan with the understanding staff will return with additional information and options; the action was taken by voice vote with the motion carried.
The council’s approval restores a vendor-managed option for round-the-clock after-hours animal-control coverage but leaves open the possibility of terminating the Willdan agreement with 30 days’ written notice if the council later chooses a different approach.
