TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THRU: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
FROM: Sean deMetropolis, Fire Chief
1. Subject
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Agreement with The Jungle Nursery, Inc. for weed abatement services for Fiscal Year 2025-2026.
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2. Summary
A one-year agreement with The Jungle Nursery, Inc. for weed abatement services conducted on designated City-owned lots. The total amount of the agreement is not to exceed $106,409, of which $79,240 is designated for weed abatement services and $27,169 is reserved for as-needed weed spraying costs.
3. Recommended Action
recommendation
Approve the agreement with The Jungle Nursery, Inc. in the amount of $106,409 for weed abatement services; and authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute on behalf of the City.
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4. Fiscal Impact
The expense for this agreement is $106,409 and will be funded through General Fund (100) respectively:
100-3112-56105 Weed Abatement Services $106,409
5. Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Maintain Strong Emergency and Safety Services.
6. Discussion and Background
The Orange City Fire Department is committed to safeguarding the safety and welfare of families residing in the urban-wildland interface. To reduce the risk of fires in these areas of the city, the Fire Prevention Bureau manages a weed abatement program that conducts biannual inspections and coordinates the removal of dead and overgrown vegetation from designated City-owned lots. Additionally, the bureau enforces compliance on private lots as needed to ensure all properties meet established defensible space standards.
The department contracts with a private landscape company to perform bi-annual clearance of over twenty City-owned lots, primarily located along roadways, creek beds, and open spaces. When private property owners are found to be out of compliance, they are notified by mail and asked to address the identified issues. If owners fail to resolve code violations after multiple notices, the Fire Department will coordinate with its weed abatement services vendor to carry out the necessary work. The property owner is then responsible for reimbursing the City for the cost of these services.
The vendor, The Jungle Nursery, Inc. (Jungle Nursery), has been providing these services to the department since 2013. Jungle Nursery received the highest Request for Proposal (RFP) score based on customer service, resource assignment capabilities, experience, and competitive pricing. Throughout this period, they have maintained stable pricing while consistently delivering a high level of service. Given the department’s ongoing satisfaction with Jungle Nursery’s service quality and cost-effectiveness, staff has determined that initiating a new bidding process is neither feasible nor necessary at this time.
Staff recommends approving the Weed Abatement Services Agreement with Jungle Nursery for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 (FY26). The one-year agreement is not to exceed $106,409, with approximately $79,000 allocated specifically for weed abatement efforts on City-owned lots and $27,000 reserved for as-needed costs for weed spraying. Over the past five years, the average annual expenditure for these services has been $74,000, although this amount fluctuates annually depending on precipitation levels and vegetation growth on City-owned parcels.
7. ATTACHMENTS
• Attachment 1 FY26 Weed Abatement Services Agreement
• Attachment 2 FY26 The Jungle Weed Abatement Services Pricing
• Attachment 3 Weed Abatement City Parcel Maps