Council moves forward on two planning contracts after debate over billing and subconsultant markups

Council considered two related professional services agreements designed to give the small city planning capacity without hiring full-time staff. The first contract — a day-to-day planning agreement with 4 Leaf Planning — was presented as intended to handle routine permit review, planning-commission support and sign or façade permits. Giovanni, a 4 Leaf representative, told the council the firm could remove a four-hour minimum charge and would not bill travel time from its Santa Rosa office for initial travel; council moved to send the contract back with specified edits (remove four-hour minimum, replace "director" references with "city manager" and clarify mileage) for written confirmation from the consultant before final execution.

The second contract with Yuba Planning would cover environmental planning and special projects. Council members probed a standard 10% markup on subconsultants; Jessica Hankins of Yuba explained the markup covers coordination and invoicing and is common in the field. Several council members and residents urged the city attorney to prepare standardized contract language and for staff to negotiate alternative structures (flat coordination fees, caps or detailed task estimates) where appropriate. After discussion, the council approved moving forward with Yuba Planning while directing staff and the consultant to clarify the subconsultant-cost structure and return with any negotiated changes.