THE WHEELS GO ‘ROUND AND ‘ROUND
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing series that tracks the city’s expenditures appearing on upcoming Santa Monica City Council consent agendas. Consent agenda items are routinely passed by the City Council with little or no discussion from elected officials or the public. However, many of the items have been part of public discussion in the past.
CITY HALLEducating people about the negative aspects of giving money to panhandlers is proving to be quite costly,with the City Council expected tonight to spend $237,000 to further study the extent of the problem and what alternatives exist for those willing to donate.
The consulting contract with GMMB, which will receive a total of $337,000 once the anti-panhandling campaign is complete, is part of a nearly $870,000 spending package that council will be asked to approve, featuring everything from repairs to the Big Blue Bus’ fleet of liquefied natural gas coaches to janitorial services at the Public Safety Facility.
The most expensive item is the contract with GMMB, which has been working for City Hall since February on an education campaign to visibly reduce panhandling while redirecting people’s generosity toward alternative methods of giving.
Between March and June, GMMB has gathered input from stakeholders and experts, surveyed over 300 residents and visitors to determine their motivations for handing over their cash, and tested ad campaigns with focus groups.
Phase two of the campaign will include further research on the extent of panhandling, developing a way to measure the campaign’s success, exploring alternative ways to give, advertisement production and distribution and planning an event to launch the campaign. Signs about panhandling could end up being placed in highly visible locations, including city-owned parking structures Downtown.
The effort is part of the council’s “Action Plan to Address Homelessness in Santa Monica.”
City officials want donations to go to legitimate organizations that can provide services, such as counseling, job training and housing.
City Hall hopes to launch the ad campaign in the fall.
To ensure that BBB keeps moving along,the council will be asked to approve a maintenance contract with AFV Fleet Services for the refurbishment of LNG tanks and related parts. The contract, which is for one year with two additional one-year renewals, is worth $225,000.
Over the life span of an LNG powered bus, which is estimated to be 12 years,LNG components are subject to severe temperature changes during normal use. The changes over time will weaken the tank’s ability to maintain a vacuum, the loss of which reduces the time LNG will remain cold causing the temperature and pressure to rise, The rise in pressure will cause the tank to vent methane into the atmosphere, according to a city staff report.
The refurbishment and maintenance of the gas tanks will prevent that from happening and enhance fuel efficiency.AFV Fleet,the only bidder to respond to a request for proposals, has been repairing and servicing the LNG tanks on BBB coaches since 2005.
The cost of the contract over three years is estimated to be $755,000.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 8, 2008. Read the original PDF.