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Oxnard City staff seek council approval for $1.19M increase to Kennedy Jenks contract and $6.7M budget shifts for wastewater plant
Summary
City engineer Morgan Kessler asked the City Council to authorize a second amendment to Agreement A8281 with Kennedy Jenks Incorporated to increase the construction‑management contract by $1,189,349 (to $5,703,885), extend the term to Oct. 31, 2027, and move internal wastewater funds totaling $6.7 million to support the Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant Reliability Improvement Project.
Morgan Kessler, city engineer for Oxnard City, asked the City Council to authorize a second amendment to Agreement A8281 with Kennedy Jenks Incorporated to continue construction‑management services on the Oxnard Wastewater Treatment Plant Reliability Improvement Project (PW20102).
Kessler told the council the amendment would increase the contract’s not‑to‑exceed cap by $1,189,349 to a total of $5,703,885 and extend the contract term to Oct. 31, 2027. She also requested internal budget moves: a $1.5 million transfer from project C2235 (effluent pump station improvements) within the wastewater operating fund (611) to project C2201, and a $5.2 million appropriation from the wastewater operating fund to the wastewater capital fund (6112) for C2201.
The reliability project is a large, multi‑year capital program that includes rehabilitation and replacement of the headworks, digesters, motor control center, maintenance and storage buildings, and associated site civil and electrical work. Kessler said the program is about 85% complete and is scheduled for final completion in October 2027. "It’s quite a complicated project," she said, noting "long lead times for equipment" and ongoing electrical and electronic‑controls issues.
Kessler cited two principal causes for the delay: coordination with Southern California Edison and the departure of key wastewater engineering staff that reduced institutional knowledge. She told the council that, given current staff workloads and vacancies, in‑house personnel do not have the capacity or the specialized expertise to manage the remaining construction work. "This work requires specialized engineering, professional construction management services," she said.
On finances, Kessler reviewed prior actions intended to keep the project compliant with the State Revolving Fund loan agreement, including a December 2025 council reallocation of about $14 million and the planned backfill with wastewater operating fund resources totaling $6.7 million. The second amendment would raise Kennedy Jenks’ contract authority by $1,189,349, producing the revised contract total Kessler presented.
Kessler closed by saying staff would be available at the City Council meeting to answer questions. The transcript contains the presentation and recommendation but does not record any council vote or formal action.
