Clearlake’s City Council approved acceptance of proposals for on-call building maintenance services (item 11) after pulling the item from the consent agenda for discussion Nov. 6. Council members asked whether the city’s purchasing ordinance grants preference to in-city or in-county contractors and why many bidders were from outside the county.

Staff responded that the city’s purchasing ordinance does not provide a local preference and that the project was posted through the city portal; staff also said some bidders (for example ACCO) are headquarters-based outside the county but have local employees or use local subcontractors for work and emergency calls. The council asked whether local contractors were required to be listed as subcontractors; staff said local response is typically provided by company employees or crews rather than explicit subcontractor listings.

Council agreed to approve the proposals for on-call services and to vote on item 11 separately from the rest of the consent agenda. The motion to approve item 11 as a separate item was moved and seconded and passed on a unanimous roll-call vote.

Action: Motion recorded to approve item 11 (accept proposals for city facilities building maintenance); motion passed unanimously.

Why this matters: the contracts establish on-call providers for critical facility maintenance and emergency repairs. Council discussion focused on response time and whether the city can prioritize local firms for emergency availability within current procurement rules.

Key quote

"There's not preference in our purchasing ordinance for that. We put it out through our portal, and this is what we get," staff said, explaining the vendor pool and lack of local-preference clause.

Ending

Staff will proceed with the accepted proposals; the item was approved separately and the contracts will be used on an as-needed basis.