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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 2e: Contract Extension to Ferguson Group for Federal Legislative Advocacy ServicesDATE: TO: FROM: SUMMARY BACKGROUND November 16, 2010 Mayor and City Council Arcadia Redevelopment Agency Board Donald Penman, City Manager By: Linda Garcia, Com 4unications, Marketing and Special Projects Manager 4•'-- Office of the City Manager SUBJECT: ONE -YEAR EXTENSION IN THE AMOUNT OF $65,000.00 TO THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF ARCADIA AND THE FERGUSON GROUP FOR FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY SERVICES Recommendation: Approve The City of Arcadia has utilized the services of The Ferguson Group since 1996 for the purpose of obtaining federal funding for City projects. The current Professional Services Agreement with The Ferguson Group expires on December 31, 2010. Based on the City's positive experience with the company and the desire to use their services in the future, staff is recommending that the City Council approve a one -year extension (Amendment No. 8) to the Professional Services Agreement between the City of Arcadia and The Ferguson Group. The depressed economic situation the country is facing has created serious challenges for cities in terms of paying for capital expenditures, whether they be infrastructure or equipment related. Over the years, Arcadia's ability to bring to fruition certain infrastructure and facility improvements, as well as to be able to purchase certain equipment, has been aided significantly by the use of federal funds obtained with the assistance of The Ferguson Group. Money has been received for law enforcement purposes, for the Ruth and Charles Gilb Arcadia Historical Museum, and the most significant and ongoing funding has been for traffic and street improvements and the joint Arcadia /Sierra Madre water improvement projects. Since the City first retained The Ferguson Group, millions of dollars have been secured through our federal lobbying efforts. Mayor and City Council — PSA Extension for The Ferguson Group November 16, 2010 Page 2 DISCUSSION Although it has become increasingly more difficult to obtain federal funding for local projects, staff believes it is worthwhile to continue the City's partnership with The Ferguson Group due to their ongoing assistance with our water and transportation projects as well as for their expertise and guidance in sourcing potential funding opportunities for these and other projects. This expertise and guidance is likely to be even more important with the November 2010 election resulting in what is expected to be a much more fiscally conservative Congress. Members of The Ferguson Group's team are very knowledgeable about the funding process and the type of money that is available; their familiarity, excellent reputation and experience with the Washington political community has been, and will continue to be, quite helpful. While the future is impossible to predict, it is important for the City to explore all feasible funding opportunities and to do so in a manner that optimizes our chances of success in a very competitive environment. Accordingly, staff is asking the City Council to authorize a one -year extension to the City's Professional Services Agreement with The Ferguson Group. FISCAL IMPACT The Ferguson Group has agreed to maintain the current annual fee of 65,000.00. This retainer includes unlimited hours of monthly service and overhead expenses. As in the past, the cost will be shared among the General Fund (35 %), the Water Fund (50 %) and the Redevelopment Agency (15 %). RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency Board authorize the City Manager to execute a one -year extension in the amount of $65,000.00 to the Professional Services Agreement between the City of Arcadia and The Ferguson Group for federal legislative advocacy services.