Staff recommends approval of amendment and memorandum of agreement.

On May 1, 2013, Council adopted the "Freeway Litter Program" and approved associated agreements with the Bakersfield Homeless Center (which is now The Open Door Network), California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and Kern Council of Governments (Kern COG). These agreements allowed Caltrans and Kern COG to provide the funding for freeway litter removal services, while BHC crews performed the work.

The Litter Program has been a success, at minimal cost to the City. The freeways, bike paths and other areas are cleaned regularly, and The Open Door Network clients receive income from the program which has helped to facilitate housing solutions for clients and their families. The City also continues to receive awards and recognition for this innovative program. Due to the success of the program, additional City Departments have budgeted to use The Open Door Network for seasonal clean-up services within their respective functions and the program has proven to be cost effective for seasonal clean-ups.

Item 1 – Amendment No. 14 to Agreement No. 13-072 with BHC:

Agreement No. 13-072 was approved on May 1, 2013 and provided for litter removal services with annual compensation not to exceed $561,600. This Agreement was for a one-year term, with four annual renewal options. The following Amendments were approved:

• Amendment No. 1 (April 16, 2014) extended term to June 30, 2015 and added $129,040 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $690,640).
• Amendment No. 2 (May 21, 2014) added Kern Cog’s $150,000 commitment to the Program (revised not to exceed of $840,640).
• Amendment No. 3 (June 24, 2015) extended term to June 30, 2016 and added $561,588 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $1,402,228).
• Amendment No. 4 (June 29, 2016) extended term to June 30, 2017 and added $561,588 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $1,963,816).
• Amendment No. 5 (June 7, 2017) extended term to June 30, 2018, with a renewal option of five years and added $561,588 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $2,525,404).
• Amendment No. 6 (June 6, 2018) extended term to June 30, 2019 and added $591,640 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $3,117,044).
• Amendment No. 7 (June 28, 2019) extended term to June 30, 2020 and added $544,640 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $3,661,684).
• Amendment No. 8 (June 24, 2020) extended term to June 30, 2021 and added $495,640 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $4,157,324).
• Amendment No. 9 (March 17, 2021) added $50,000 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $4,207,324).
• Amendment No. 10 (June 2, 2021) added $957,640 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $5,164,964).
• Amendment No. 11 (June 15, 2022) Bakersfield Homeless Center merged with sister agency and assigned all amendments to newly formed entity The Open Door Network; extended the term of the agreement to June 30, 2023 and added $550,640. to the Agreement (revised not to exceed of $5,715,604).
• Amendment No. 12 (October 15, 2022) added $330,000 to the Agreement (revised not to exceed $6,045,604).
• Amendment No.13 (December 14, 2022) updated compensation rate for 2023 due to minimum wage increase. No additional funds were necessary since there were sufficient funds in the agreement to continue highway litter removal services through the current term of the agreement (June 30, 2023). 

Proposed Amendment No. 14 will extend the term of the agreement by one year and will expire on June 30, 2024. The agreement provides a one-year renewal at the discretion of the City and would add $807,640 to the agreement. Funding will come from Caltrans ($582,640) and Kern Cog ($225,000).  If approved, the revised not to exceed compensation would be $6,853,244.

Item 2 – Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Kern COG:

Kern COG has provided funding for freeway litter removal services since the program’s inception. The proposed MOA continues the partnership between Kern COG, BHC, and the City to meet the Council’s goal of beautification of the City. The MOA provides $225,000 of funding for Fiscal Year 23/24.