To: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): Permit Sonoma
Staff Name and Phone Number: Scott Orr, Interim Director (707) 565-1754, Robert Aguero, Grants Program Manager (707) 565-3718
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): All
Title:
Title
Second Amendment to Agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. for County Government Center Environmental Review
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the Director of the Permit and Resource Management Department (Permit Sonoma) to execute a second amendment to a professional services agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. for environmental review services for the County Government Center project to amend the scope and increase the contract amount by $308,751 for a new not-to-exceed contract total of $936,520 with no change to the term ending December 31, 2029.
end
Executive Summary:
In October 2021, the Director of Permit Sonoma entered into a professional services agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $627,769 over three years for environmental review of the County Government Center project, including project scoping, the preparation of an Administrative Draft Environmental Impact Report (ADEIR), Public Draft EIR, Final EIR, and project management services. This agreement was amended in April 2025 to extend the term of the agreement until December 31, 2029. To address additional work service requests, Permit Sonoma proposes to amend the agreement for a second time to expand the scope of work to address project changes directed by the Board in July 2024 (discussed in more detail below) and add $308,751 for a total contract amount not-to-exceed $936,520.
Discussion:
On July 27, 2021, the Board directed staff to initiate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) analysis for the County Government Center and delegate authority to Permit Sonoma to enter into an agreement with an environmental consultant for a not-to-exceed contract award of $750,000. Following a competitive solicitation process, on October 29, 2021, Permit Sonoma entered into a professional services agreement with Rincon Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $627,769 for environmental review services related to the County Government Center project. The contract was amended in 2024 to extend the agreement terms through 2029, with no monetary increase.
Work to date completed under the contract includes:
- Drafting of the Administrative Draft Environmental Impact Report and supplemental technical studies for the County Government Center project, which are currently under County review.
- Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meeting for original project description, occurred on June 24, 2025. A new Notice of Preparation and Scoping Meeting will be held due to the project changes and will be scheduled at a later date.
On July 23, 2024, the Board approved the revised County Government Center Plan including the preferred alternative of one building for the project, for residential/mixed-use to be considered in the project scope, and for the environmental review to consider up to 1,500 housing units.
Proposed Second Amendment
Because of the direction provided in July 2024, the proposed amendment to increase the contract amount by $308,751 is necessary to effectively complete the expanded scope of work, including the following:
• Updates to the project description, including an increase in potential housing units.
• The need to prepare a Water Supply Assessment (WSA) for the project to analyze the potential impacts of increased housing units.
• The need to prepare an updated Transportation Impact Analysis for the project that includes evaluation of wildfire evacuation.
• Increases to contract budget and contract term due to the lengthened timeline of performance of the contracted expenses, including additional contingency expenses.
• The Draft EIR is anticipated to be ready for circulation and public comment at the end of February 2026.
Strategic Plan:
N/A
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
July 23, 2024 <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6790058&GUID=B2D42E99-1258-4258-B52F-4EEA0720D87B> - Board selected preferred alternative for project and directed staff to proceed with the required California Environmental Quality (CEQA) review and pre-construction design work
January 31, 2023 <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6004418&GUID=FC93D788-3200-4722-8F7B-AA8278928CCF> - Endorsement of Potential Project Options for Further Analysis, Planning, and Development Consideration
July 27, 2021 <https://sonoma-county.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5036364&GUID=11C46654-6031-4EC2-AC8F-E47F95FF24AE> - Board delegated authority to Permit Sonoma, to enter into agreement with an environmental consultant to be identified at the conclusion of a competitive solicitation process for a not-to-exceed contract award of $750,000.
Fiscal Summary
|
Expenditures |
FY25-26 Adopted |
FY26-27 Projected |
FY27-28 Projected |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
- |
$102,917 |
$102,917 |
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Expenditures |
- |
$102,917 |
$102,917 |
|
Funding Sources |
- |
- |
- |
|
General Fund/WA GF |
- |
$102,917 |
$102,917 |
|
State/Federal |
- |
- |
- |
|
Fees/Other |
- |
- |
- |
|
Use of Fund Balance |
- |
- |
- |
|
General Fund Contingencies |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Sources |
- |
$102,917 |
$102,917 |
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Funds are encumbered (Purchase Order 2500002722) in the FY 2025-26 County Government Center Capital Project (21122-40103100) Approved Budget under the existing contract. If approved, expenditures authorized in this Second Amendment will be included in future fiscal year Recommended Budgets for the County Government Center project.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
N/A
Attachments:
ATT 1. Proposed Second Amendment
ATT 2. First Amendment
ATT 3. Original Agreement
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
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