COSTA MESA, CALIF.—The City of Costa Mesa sent out three Requests for Proposals (RFPs) this week to assess the viability of outsourcing its animal control, building inspection and video production services. A fourth RFP for payroll services is scheduled to be released Tuesday. The RFPs can be reviewed
here.
The requests seek proposals from government agencies and private companies interested in providing those services to Costa Mesa. The four proposals are due Sept. 1 and, after review and analysis, will likely be brought to the City Council in October.
The City is in the process of exploring the outsourcing of 19 city services in an attempt to improve efficiencies and stem rising pension costs. The schedule for when the RFPs are expected to be released, reviewed and voted upon can be viewed
here.
The City Council is scheduled to discuss at its meeting Tuesday two proposals the City received to outsource its jail operations. A proposal by G4S, which operates city jails in Beverly Hills, Irvine and other Southern California cities, is estimated to save the City about $600,000 annually—a 46% reduction from the current budget. The staff report can be read
here.
An Orange County judge issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month against the City to prohibit outsourcing to private companies until a lawsuit filed by the Costa Mesa City Employees Assn. is heard. No court date has been set. The injunction doesn’t bar the City from seeking proposals from private companies.
To date, the City has released RFPs for five out of the 19 services identified for potential outsourcing, including the Costa Mesa Fire Department, whose association asked late last year that the City explore outsourcing fire services to the Orange County Fire Authority.
