02.01.2010 City Council

The City of Ventura City Council meeting, identified by the title as February 1, 2010, included several procurement-related consent items. The council discussed a proposed one-year arrangement to outsource the city warehouse’s fleet-and-facilities inventory operation and authorized contract negotiations with the vendor, the Napa division of General Parts Corporation (GPC). The vendor would purchase existing inventory at its recorded cost—estimated at about $75,000—and operate from space in the city facility; staff estimated the arrangement would cost the city about $120,000 annually while avoiding investments in systems and staffing needed to meet updated audit requirements. Staff said the water and wastewater inventory was not included initially because its needs differ, with broader consolidation to be considered later. The consent calendar also included a $39,472 Homeland Security grant request, described as primarily supporting active-bomber training, and an extension of the financial audit contract for fiscal years 2009–10. The transcript indicates the warehouse item was moved and seconded and the consent calendar proceeded, but its vote tally is unclear.

The council separately unanimously approved Council Member Andrews’s out-of-state travel to Washington for the Regional Defense Partnership’s lobbying meetings. Andrews cited a prior $3.2 million project secured through the effort and described larger funding requests for a naval-base support facility and laboratory work; these were requests, not awards reported at the meeting. Other discussion included emergency preparedness and CERT training, library funding and closure concerns, paid parking, and historic preservation. No additional procurement action was identified in those discussions.