SUBJECT/RECOMMENDATION:
Title
Authorize a purchase order to American Guard Services, of Tampa, Florida, in a not-to-exceed annual amount of $33,250, including two, one-year renewal terms at the City’s discretion, and authorize the appropriate officials to execute same. (consent)
Body
SUMMARY:
During the December 3rd work session for the City Council, Engineering Parking Systems presented a request to approve a purchase order to American Guard Services (AGS), in the amount of $33,250, for after-hour patrols of three downtown parking garages, from 11 pm until 6 am, Monday through Friday. AGS’s hourly rates are the result of Request for Proposals #01-18, Security Services, issued in December 2017 and originally awarded in February 2018, for security services for facilities citywide.
Parking has brought this item back for approval with the following responses to City Council inquiries. At City Council’s recommendation, Parking Systems proposes to try this service for a year and provide statistical feedback in the form of documented incident reports. Council questioned whether Clearwater Police Department (CPD) could provide this service as part of their patrol routine. Comments on this follow.
CPD conducts extra patrols of the Garden Avenue, Station Square and Municipal Services garages on occasion; it is sporadic, generally self-initiated or based on issues reported to CPD. Based on the nature of the concerns (e.g., transients, skateboarders), staffing regular patrols would not be a cost-effective use of a sworn police officer. Three garages, at 20 minutes walking the garage, CPD would have an officer spending the entire overnight shift patrolling the garages.
The CPD Downtown Bicycle Team checks the Garden Avenue and Station Square parking garages two to three times per week in the morning as part of their normal duties. They do not normally check the Municipal Services garage since officers and staff access that garage regularly throughout the day and night. Officers also respond to all three of the garages for general calls for service / complaints.
CPD supports the hiring of unarmed security guards as a cost-effective method of addressing the non-criminal issues occurring in the garages and this solution is more aligned with the old parking guard program.
APPROPRIATION CODE AND AMOUNT:
4351333-530300 $33,250
Funds are available in cost code 530300, Other Contractual Services, to fund this purchase order in FY2019 and will be included in FY2020 and 2021 Parking System Operating Budgets at $33,250 per year.