05 - Laserfiche WebLink

BACKGROUND The Open Space Committee consists of one member appointed by the Board of Supervisors, one member appointed by the Livermore City Council, one member appointed by the Pleasanton City Council, and one member appointed by the Sierra Club. The City of Pleasanton representative is Vice-Mayor Valerie Arkin. As part of the settlement of litigation over the expansion of the Altamont Landfill, the parties to the litigation agreement (Alameda County, Waste Management of Alameda County, the Cities of Livermore and Pleasanton, and various environmental groups) agreed that the County would impose a fee totaling $0.75 per ton at the Altamont Landfill and Resource Recovery Facility for open space acquisition. Eighty percent of the Open Space Fee is designated for open space expenditures in the eastern portion of the East County and 20 percent is for expenditures in the western portion of East County. Subsection 7.4.7 of the Settlement Agreement states that by approval of a majority of the members of the Open Space Committee, and concurrence by the County and Cities, up to five percent of the funds received in any given year may be expended for the services of independent consultants to aid the Open Space Committee in carrying out its duties to identify open space areas in need of protection and to make plans for their acquisition. On March 17, 2020, Pleasanton City Council was set to review and vote on the Open Space Committee's request to authorize expenditure of funds up to $61,868 for consulting services for RCD to conduct Phase I. However, the March 17 meeting was canceled due to the Alameda County Public Health Department's order to shelter in place issued on March 16, following which all City of Pleasanton offices were temporarily closed, and City government meetings were suspended. On March 23, 2020, the Pleasanton City Council held a special meeting and adopted a resolution granting the City Manager authority to award contracts and to execute agreements on behalf of the City during the local emergency. The City Manager authorized expenditure of funds to conduct Phase I on April 1, 2020, and the final Phase I Report was presented to the Open Space Committee at its March 2021 meeting. City meetings have since resumed and Phase II of RCD's services is therefore being presented to the City Council for action. DISCUSSION In Phase I, wildlife camera traps were installed north and south of 1-580 in the Altamont Pass area, east of Livermore. Camera trapping entails placing cameras which are triggered by movement to record the presence of animals. Phase I provided information on wildlife occurrence on properties which possess suitable characteristics to support habitat connectivity. On September 17, 2021, Open Space Committee members voted to authorize the expenditure of funds up to $160,103 for consulting services with RCD to conduct Phase II of the project as described in the attached Scope of Work. Phase II of the project will continue the work that began during Phase I, with a more intensive camera trapping effort encompassing areas north and south of 1-580 in the Altamont Pass area, east of Page 2 of 3