WEST COUNTY TIMES

FEDS CRITICIZE CITY PROCEDURES

Wednesday, June 12, 1996
Section: News
Page: A01
EMILY GURNON

RICHMOND Responding to a federal decision to suspend a redesign grant for Point Molate, the City Council told staff members to draft formal written procedures for selecting consultants and for responding to procurement protests.

The council, sitting as the Local Reuse Authority for the former military base, also decided to request a conference call with federal officials.

The purpose of the call would be to ask for clarification of a letter sent to Mayor Rosemary Corbin by an Office of Economic Adjustment official.

The letter said the city had not complied with federal requirements in the selection of the Point Molate redesign architect.

Specifically, the city has no procedures regarding the selection of a contractor and no formal protest procedures to resolve procurement disputes, the letter from Acting Director Helene O'Connor said.

The council voted to hire Dan Peterson & Associates, a local architect, after the city staff ranked him sixth out of seven firms applying for the job. Councilman Tom Butt complained to the federal government that the selection process was flawed.

It was not clear from the letter whether Richmond would have to start the consultant selection process from scratch.

City Manager Floyd Johnson said a federal official told him Monday that the city would have to rebid the job if it comes up with new selection criteria.

Councilman Alex Evans said he opposes writing new procedures.

"I believe that we had a procedure and that we followed a procedure," he said. "That's what we should tell the OEA."

Several council members who voted for Peterson called the federal office's decision a political one.

On a separate item, council members deferred a decision on whether to put a nearly $62 million bond measure before the voters.

City Manager Floyd Johnson asked the council to put their vote off for two weeks, saying he had some "new information." He did not elaborate.

Sources at City Hall speculated that there were not enough votes on the council to pass the public works and recreation bond measure on to the voters. It requires six votes of the nine-member body.