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Rolling Hills Estates council approves three‑year trash‑monitoring contract with JL Hunter & Associates
Summary
The council approved a three‑year professional services agreement with John L. Hunter & Associates to perform required TMDL trash monitoring and annual reporting, a not‑to‑exceed $14,167 contract (about $4,816 per year) funded from the stormwater budget; the motion passed with one opposed.
Rolling Hills Estates' City Council on a voice vote approved a three‑year professional services agreement with John L. Hunter & Associates to perform required trash monitoring and prepare annual TMDL compliance reports under the Machado Lake and Santa Monica Bay Marine Debris TMDLs.
Staff said the three‑year agreement has a not‑to‑exceed total of $14,167, with an annual cost of about $4,816, and that funding is already included in the storm‑water budget. The consultant's role is narrow and technical: conducting one trash survey after the first major storm of the year, categorizing observed debris and preparing the regulatory compliance report for the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board. "Basically John L. Hunter & Associates go into the field. They count and categorize the trash," the staff presenter said.
Council members asked whether the new annual schedule represents a cost increase compared with the prior twice‑annual monitoring; staff did not have the historical price at the dais and offered to provide previous contract figures later. Several members said the administrative work and paperwork are the same even if field visits are reduced. A motion to approve the agreement was made and seconded; the motion passed with one council member recorded in opposition. The minutes record that the contract includes a seven‑day termination provision if monitoring is no longer required.
Why it matters: The monitoring and reporting are required by state regulators under TMDL orders; keeping the work in a subject‑matter consultant helps the small city meet technical regulatory obligations without expanding in‑house staffing. The contract will be executed in the coming weeks and staff said it will return any additional historical cost data to the council on request.
Next steps: Staff will finalize the professional services agreement and file the required compliance report after the first qualifying storm event.
