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# Malibu extends contract planner deals, adding $605,000
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/malibu-extends-contract-planner-deals-adding-605-000/
- Published: 2026-10-26T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-26T16:00:00.000Z
- Author: Maaz Alin
- Tags: Government & Politics, Malibu

The Malibu City Council on Monday approved two-year extensions of its contracts with three planning firms, adding $605,000 to their spending caps after some development reviews fell behind as the contracts ran low on money.

The council voted unanimously to amend its agreements with 4Leaf Inc., Civic Solutions Inc. and CSG Consultants Inc., which together supply four contract planners who review development applications.

"We have the money in the bank," Council member Doug Stewart said. "It sounds like it's just a question of having room on the contracts."

The largest increase goes to Civic Solutions, whose contract grows by $495,000 to $925,000 and runs through Dec. 9, 2028\. A staff report said the firm's original agreement would be fully spent before it expired in December. Its billing is capped at $25,000 a month through March 2027 and $16,000 a month after that.

CSG's contract rises by $100,000 to $400,000 and runs through Oct. 28, 2028\. The city spent $160,000, or 53%, of the original $300,000 in the first two years.

The 4Leaf contract grows by $10,000 to $960,000 and also runs through Oct. 28, 2028\. The amendment shifts money within the contract, cutting regular planning work from $350,000 to $234,000 and raising Woolsey Fire rebuild services from $600,000 to $726,000\. Regular planning work under that contract is expected to be paid for by applicant deposits.

The amounts are ceilings, not guaranteed payments, and the firms are paid only for work performed, the report said. [Palisades Fire recovery work](https://lacounty.gov/eaton-palisades-one-year-later/?ref=smdp.com) is handled under separate agreements.

Stewart pulled the item from the consent calendar, where items are approved in a single vote, to ask how many applicants had been affected.

Community Development Director Yolanda Bundy said the problem involved two higher-level contract planners and that staff brought the amendments forward as soon as it learned the contracts were running out of money.

"There's not a lot of applications that are late," Bundy said. She confirmed the delayed cases were not fire rebuilds.

The four contract planners are assigned to more than 456 applications, including about 100 under active review, according to the staff report. Council member Haylynn Conrad called that "a lot for four consultants."

City staff responded that most of the 456 have already been approved and are in building plan check. The 100 active cases work out to about 25 per planner, which city staff called "a very doable good workload for a contract planner."

City staff said the council gave the department about $1 million for contract planners in 2022, when turnaround times "were not the best." That spending has since been cut to about $500,000, and the number of contract planners has dropped from 15 to fewer than nine.

"Our turnaround times have improved significantly," city staff said.

Conrad said she would support the extensions but questioned how much the city relies on outside help.

"We are a land use city. We're not a coal mining city or a lumber city. We build houses here. We renovate houses," Conrad said. She added that the city spends "a lot of money on consultants" and wondered about bringing more of that work in-house someday.

Council member Marianne Riggins asked staff to explain how applicants help pay for the planners' work. City staff said complex projects, such as coastal development permits that require a Local Coastal Program amendment, require a deposit from the applicant.

"It's an applicant-funded project, so that is not coming out of the general fund," city staff said.

Bundy said the contract planners provide "expertise for more complex projects," such as hotels and multifamily housing. In-house staff members cover the public counter, tenant improvements and fire rebuilds, she said.

Mayor Bruce Silverstein took issue with Riggins' use of the word "customer" to describe applicants.

"Whenever I hear customer, I have a problem with that because the people that are seeking to build in Malibu are not our customers," Silverstein said.

Stewart moved to approve the extensions, and Riggins seconded.

The city sought proposals for contract planning services in May 2024 and signed two-year agreements with the firms later that year. Citing the department's workload and its focus on [wildfire recovery](https://www.smdp.com/malibu-fire-spreads-to-100-acres-and-triggers-evacuations/), staff recommended extending the contracts rather than seeking new bids. Staff said it will run a new competitive process before the extensions expire.

Funding is included in the city's budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year.