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Residents urge rebid of fuel-reduction contract amid questions over disqualified bidders
Summary
A public commenter urged the city to rebid a nearly $2 million fuel-reduction contract for which only West Coast Arborist qualified; staff said the other bids were disqualified for missing addenda or lacking required licenses.
At the meeting’s public-comment period, resident Kathy Schlick urged the City Council to rebid the city’s fuel-reduction project, arguing that only one qualifying bid (West Coast Arborist) remained after other bidders were disqualified and that the recommended award—reported in the staff report as nearly $2,000,000—warrants competitive review.
Schlick cited historical contract amendments going back to 1999 and described the pattern as evidence of “cronyism and nepotism,” and she urged the council to ensure competitive procurement of taxpayer funds. “Tonight’s recommendation is not much different than the 25 years that West Coast arborists have been awarded with non bid contracts,” she said.
City staff responded later in council comments: the low bidder had an incomplete submission (missing addendum number 1) and another bidder lacked required licenses (C27 and C49), so staff ruled those bids out and the only qualifying bidder remained West Coast Arborist. Councilmember Goodell noted that the disqualifications were due to objective license and submittal requirements and that the remaining bidder is qualified to perform the work. The city did not change the award during the meeting.
The exchange left the procedural record intact but also recorded residents’ concern about procurement transparency; residents asked the council to consider rebidding to ensure public trust.
