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Council authorizes purchase of new police motorcycle and approves several contracts including janitorial and communications work
Summary
Council approved procurement actions June 9 including authorization to buy a new 2026 BMW police motorcycle (funded in current budget), a multiyear janitorial services agreement (with termination rights) and one‑year communications and state‑of‑city video contracts. Council debated in‑house vs. contract service and local hiring preferences.
The Ojai City Council on June 9 approved several operational and procurement actions.
Police motorcycle: Police leaders described the motor officer pilot (launched Feb 2025), which staff said produced roughly 1,600 community contacts and more than 350 citations during the yearlong evaluation window; staff said the department’s current repurposed motorcycle is aging (11 years, ~69,000 miles) and increasingly expensive to maintain. The council authorized the purchase of a new 2026 BMW police motorcycle (staff said the purchase is fully funded in the budget and will take 90–120 days to outfit).
Janitorial services: Staff recommended a three‑year janitorial services contract with Kelly’s Cleaning to maintain city facilities and public restrooms. Staff presented a comparison showing that two full‑time in‑house maintenance positions plus vehicle and equipment would carry a higher first‑year cost (roughly $270,000 including vehicle/equipment) than the contracted option (about $115,000). Council discussed local hiring preferences and contract flexibility; the council authorized the contract with termination language included and direction to continue evaluating local sourcing options.
Communications & 'State of the City' video: Following an RFP process, staff recommended Trapey Smith and Associates for both the state‑of‑the‑city video production and the broader communications/social media services (one‑year awards with options for annual extensions). Trapey Smith reported recently producing roughly 800,000 organic impressions and 45,000 engagements across the city’s social channels since 2024. Some council members pushed for greater local content creation; others stressed the operational value of a firm that already understands municipal communications. A one‑year communications award and a State of the City contract were approved; council also created an ad hoc communications committee to guide strategy.
Votes and next steps: The purchase of the motorcycle and the contracts were approved by roll call. Staff will execute agreements and return with contract oversight schedules and options for local vendor outreach as directed by council.
