As the fiscal year winds down, the San Juan Bautista City
Council is beginning to look at ways to save some money and one
possibility is consolidating with the county for public works
As the fiscal year winds down, the San Juan Bautista City Council is beginning to look at ways to save some money and one possibility is consolidating with the county for public works.
The city’s three-year contract with Dublin-based contractor MCE Corp. is set to expire June 30, and officials are looking to find a less expensive solution to maintenance problems, Vice-Mayor Jolene Cosio said.
“We are looking at a variety of ways of doing it (city maintenance work),” Cosio said.
One of the solutions includes contracting with the San Benito County Public Works Department, Cosio said. Communication already started between the two sides, as the city tries to follow in Hollister’s footsteps, she said.
Currently, Hollister receives maintenance from the county’s public works department, including paving roadways. Hollister also contracts out for management of the wastewater plant.
As part of a two-person subcommittee, which consists of Cosio and Councilman Tony Boch, the city council is hoping to gain a more consistent price and a local presence when it comes to public works, Cosio said. A majority of the maintenance the city hopes to complete revolves around repaving or paving of city roads.
“Mainly, our biggest need in the city is road work,” she said.
County Administrative Officer Rich Inman announced San Juan Bautista’s inquiries to the board of supervisors Tuesday, explaining that the conversations are still early.
Inman said two city council members contacted him within the last month, and the council members were expected to give Inman and Public Works Administrator Steve Wittry a tour of San Juan Bautista.
Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz worried that the city was hoping for a handout from the county, and wanted to make sure San Juan would pay for the county’s services.
Inman said the county expects to receive some payments from the city if they do agree to a contract.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho, who represents San Juan Bautista on the board, quickly shot down the idea that the city was somehow looking for the county to do the work for free.
“I don’t think San Juan is looking for a handout here – they are just exploring how to administer their public works,” he said.
After the meeting, Inman clarified that San Juan Bautista was hoping the city could do roadwork, landscaping and other city maintenance if hired. The county still is figuring out how much to charge the city for its services.
“We don’t know how much it will cost,” Inman said. “We are still trying to determine the cost figure.”
Cosio said that the city will have the “funds to do it,” and is hoping the city and county would come to a set price for the work – something that wasn’t in place for its previous contract with MCE Corp.
“That’s been part of the problem – the cost has been more than what they proposed to us,” she said of the contract with MCE Corp. that was extended last year.
But any agreement between the city and county won’t happen anytime soon.
Inman warned that the discussions are still in the “really preliminary” stages. And as county officials determine how much to charge San Juan Bautista for services, Cosio and Boch continue to search for other possibilities.
One idea is to break up the needs of the city and hire city residents to do some of the work, Cosio said. The city could also hire the county do just roadwork, and hire within to do landscaping and other work.
Regardless, the city is looking at different ways to get city maintenance work done.
“The city does have needs and we need a contract that would fulfill them,” Cosio said.
Cosio was unsure of the latest annual cost for public works, and San Juan City Manager Steve Julian did not return calls before press time.
