Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Housing consultant needs more money

Coast News:
A consultant hired by Encinitas to help develop its housing element plans said between $200,000 and $300,000 more is needed to complete the work.

[...]

Dave Barquist, a consultant with Kimley-Horn and Associates, was tapped in May to help the task force craft a new housing plan that would pass muster with voters. The City Council approved a contract for $84,000 to complete the process.

But recent changes to state law have drastically changed the city’s approach to crafting the plan and require additional work from Barquist, according to a city staff report.
On the agenda at tomorrow's council meeting. Agenda report with tentative maps here.

21 comments:

  1. Cost overrides - sounds like a typical government contract. $200 to $300K more! Outrageous. Give every voter that approves it $10 instead and it'll pass. Dump the contractor.

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  2. One thing that this city understands is getting sued. And here we have a contractor tasked with resolving a very tricky legal landscape. If these added fees are direct payments to lawyers, that is fine but can we please hire a firm that will truly advocate for residents rather than politicians or other very transitory City folk?

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  3. Barquist was brought in on a short-term consulting contract to study feasibility. The additional funding is to help implement the "better plan" new Housing Element, with documentation and all through HCD certification and a ballot measure. The question on the table is whether to risk going ahead with the "better plan" or to settle for court imposition of Measure "T" or some other plan that might even be worse.

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  4. it would be good to have some detail on the 200-300k spend. Something more than 200-300 billable hours....Many other CA cities face this same challenge - surely there are some firms that specialize in this area. If we could please hire one of these firms rather than local bumfuck & partners, that would be a good first step.

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  5. Dump the Contractor?

    How about Dump the City Manager!

    The City Manager has to go. She is completely scatterbrained and is a ineffective leader.

    She is at-will. The City Council need to cut her loose and hire someone that can get things done.

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    Replies
    1. I agree. The city manager is not an effective leader. She looks half dead most of the time.

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    2. Fire the city manager and give her salary to the consulting firm. The consulting firm want $250K to complete the work, the city manager will cost us $200+K for the rest of her life. Dump her she's ineffective, cut our loses now.

      Regardless of what the consultants come up with, I'll be voting NO!!

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    3. Even better idea!

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  6. Sounds like a plan to turn Encinitas around and start having an effective City Hall.

    Dump the ineffective City Manager. She is scatterbrained and bad for Encinitas.

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  7. Mrs. Brust just received a 2 year extension of her contract.

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    Replies
    1. All govt is bad govt, Encinitas is bad govt.

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    2. What's the matter, 6:11? Ms. Brust get rid of one of your city hall pals? She's doing a fine job, if you ask residents. City hall workers working hard for developers, not so much.

      Insiders don't like her, outsiders love her.

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    3. No one I've heard loves her. Who are the outsiders developers and bar owners? Maybe your right?

      Dump the ineffective City Manager. She is scatterbrained and bad for Encinitas. The meeting tonight was super poorly planned. She did a terrible job of presenting the issues, alternatives and sound recommendations to City Council.

      City Council need to hire a smart City Manager that can get thing accomplished not just jabber talk.

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    4. Again the voice of sour grapes city workers sadly evident. You haven't been talking with residents if "no one" you know loves her. You've been talking with the rank and file "staff."

      Those long-abused by "staff" like her just fine. Think Shields and Maher and you need think no further.

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  8. If the city is going to place porta potties at Leucadia Roadside park it would be nice if they sent someone to pick up the trash these BUMS leave behind. I just cleaned up the park. I picked up cigarettes, cigarette lighter, vodka bottle- still had some booze in there, and paper trash. Why does the council allow this to occur?? I know the city wants this to become the designated park for the BUMS, the RSPB left over 10 years ago, do we really want his kind to return???

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  9. If I was a City Council member I would so fricken pissed. What a complete fiasco and waste of time. Its clear no one is leading the ship. Its like the City is lead by chaos.

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  10. Hey slimy Mikey, crawl back into your hole in the ground in O'side, and stfu.

    You are the last one that should comment on someones personal looks. It is apparent that you haven't looked into a mirror in decades. Just as well, It would shatter to pieces. Grow up. Better yet, just go away. You would do better if you didn't show your face or your mouth on this forum. How desperate you must really be to stoop so low. Never mind. That stooped position is you all over.

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  11. 10:37 Nov 8 -

    The council members caused the waste of time. They bought hook, line, and sinker the lies of staff who were led by Planning Director Murphy, then Manjeet Ranu. They held their ears as residents warned of a plan peppered with lies and developer giveaways that not only was not "required by law," but would never pass a vote.

    Council should be pissed, all right - at themselves. Council caused quite a fiasco by throwing in with the staff who, it's quite clear, are the ones leading the ship.

    Show up at a task force meeting sometime and observe Blakespear asking outside counsel "Wait - I was told otherwise by staff - not true??" And "What - there's no record of the nearly 3,000 "required" units to upzone?"

    If she won't be embarrassed, I'll be embarrassed for her.

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  12. We're coming up to almost 10 years of them trying to do something with the General Plan. First there was MIG for over 1.5 million when they kept coming back for more. Then there was and invalid process Peak Democracy sold to Gus Vina by Moonshot Mike Cohen. Manjeet worked with a range of other consultants, and among a list of services and products, we paid for door hangers that he said were partially distributed but that nobody ever saw. It goes on and on, and we keep spending money. Many are happy that Karen got rid of Manjeet and that Mike Strong also left. Why do we keep hiring consultants when we have maintained a fully-staffed Planning Department for all of these years?

    Why do we keep spending money? They hire consultants that are paid to deliver the best deal for developers at the expense of others who care about the community. Citizens come back and shoot it down, then they hire more consultants to come up with other deals for developers.

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    1. Your last sentence is key to understanding why we're still trying to come up with a plan the voters will go for. It's an endless loop with the city the only ones who either can't or won't catch on. Probably not enough money in it.

      Catherine was actually quoting Manjeet Ranu at a task force meeting, seemingly surprised that he had not, in fact, given her valid information. She's firmly in the "can't catch on" camp.

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